The New Home of Big Ideas

On March 17, the Analytics Solutions Center (ASC) celebrated the grand opening of its first dedicated location inside the Gardner Learning and Leadership Building at Utah State University. Nearly 95 attendees gathered for the open house, including representatives from 23 organizations, along with students, faculty, staff, and university leadership.

The ASC, launched in 2022, gives students hands-on experience working on real-world analytics projects while providing companies with data support similar to a consulting partnership. Student teams, mentored by USU data faculty, work on projects ranging from dashboard creation and data engineering to migration and data cleaning. Projects typically last between three and 12 months.

Since its launch, the ASC has generated more than $1.5 million in student sponsorship funding, creating 283 student jobs filled by 174 students. Sponsors range from local businesses and nonprofits to nationally recognized companies including Meta and Larry H. Miller.

One of the ASC’s current projects is in partnership with the Utah Lt. Governor’s Office, where students are developing an interactive voter registration dashboard designed to improve transparency, civic engagement, and access to election data across the state. Four students are currently working on the project under the guidance of three PhD professors.

“We are extremely pleased with the results of the project and will be doing future projects with the ASC,” said Ryan Cowley, one of the ASC’s sponsor contacts.

The new ASC space places students alongside other experiential learning centers within the Huntsman School, creating more opportunities for collaboration, networking, and career preparation.

During the event, guests heard remarks from ASC Founder Chris Corcoran, ASC Executive Director Doug Derrick, and ASC students Ryan Nkunda Torero, Kylie Evans, and Adelaide Berry. Following the program, attendees connected directly with students to learn more about the analytics projects they are helping lead.

For students, the ASC experience offers something difficult to replicate in a classroom alone: real project experience before graduation. By working directly with industry partners, students leave Utah State with both technical knowledge and practical experience that helps them stand out in the workforce.

As the ASC continues to expand, school leaders say the new space represents just the beginning of what experiential analytics education can become at the Huntsman School.