Ballard Center News 

When Sydni Dunn came to BYU, she embraced the idea of "entering to learn." The entrepreneurial management student immersed herself in countless opportunities that would ultimately prepare her to "go forth to serve."

After conducting a simple test for efficient waste and recycling pickups, social innovator Matthew Liddle learned that the idea had greater potential than previously imagined.

To prepare students for current business needs, the BYU Marriott School of Business has developed a new course with the help of the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance.

As of this semester, the Nonprofit Management Student Association club is the newest program addition to the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance.  

A recent entrepreneurial effort made by a group of BYU students is making a lot of noise. The venture uses smart glasses to address educational barriers faced by deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

As the founder of Educell, a nonprofit geared toward helping nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in resource-limited areas, Cade Dopp works tirelessly to bring education to those around the world who don’t have access to it.

Ballard Center students teamed up with Recyclops, a recycling company started by a BYU Marriott grad, to provide curbside recycling in rural communities by implementing a new Uber-like service.

The Ballard Center is a member of the new Utah chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance, encouraging entrepreneurs to network and help each other improve impact.

Michael P. Thompson will serve as interim dean from 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2018. Steve Glover and Keith Vorkink will continue to serve as associate deans.

EI Robotics, a company started by BYU students, has created an interactive robot to help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn foundational skills.

Nine cars filled with siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins followed Alexandra Bernadotte's vehicle in a caravan as she arrived at Dartmouth as the first college student in her family. She had assumed getting in to a university would be the hardest part of her going to school, but Bernadotte struggled with every aspect of college life.

Helping underserved kids go to college, medical labs on a microchip, and creating engaging work environments are only a few of the TEDxBYU 2018 presented ideas that teach and inspire. The Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance is excited to announce that videos of the 2018 event are now available.

Brigham Young University Academic Vice President Jim R. Rasband has announced that Brigitte C. Madrian has been named the ninth dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business.

The new device, a simplified CPAP machine with ventilation designed for use on infants, was created in part by BYU students to help small, rural hospitals in developing countries where newborn resuscitation equipment often isn’t available.

Some problems in life have one simple solution. But what about those that don't? BYU Marriott students and faculty are using design thinking to solve "wicked problems."

I was left on a doorstep outside an orphanage in Hefei, China. My village was infested with pollution, disease, and overpopulation, so my birth mother left me hoping that someone could provide what she could not. Along with dozens of other orphan girls, my fate rested in the hands of someone who could rescue me from a future plagued with poverty.

A group of BYU students are sweeping entrepreneur competitions and making life easier for wheelchair users with a new innovative device.

Four BYU students put the brakes on human trafficking in Mexico through the Ballard Center's on-campus Social Innovation Projects.

Whether it is adult literacy in Alabama or domestic violence in Nigeria, learning more about social issues and how to make an impact for good in solving them can be difficult. So many organizations are tackling the seemingly endless amount of issues, but where can one go for accurate information? 

If you eat rice regularly, you are one of the more than 3.5 billion people worldwide who consider rice a food staple. Rice may be a commonplace pantry item, but growing rice can actually produce an inordinate amount of organic waste—550 million tons of rice straw each year. Farmers typically burn this rice straw, causing environmental and health issues for many communities, 91 percent of which are in Asia.