New USU Professor Has Experience as Entrepreneur, Author and Teacher

A man who founded a frozen yogurt company and wrote a book on the benefits of “glorious accidents” has agreed to come to the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University as its new executive director of entrepreneurial programs.

Michael J. Glauser, who was the founder and former CEO of Golden Swirl Management Company and of Northern Lights, will start July 1. David Clark, the previous executive director of entrepreneurial programs, left the Huntsman School of Business to become the director of business development for the new Commercial Enterprises group of the Utah State University Research Foundation.

Glauser, who wrote the book Glorious Accidents: How Everyday Americans Create Thriving Companies, has also held faculty positions at the University of North Carolina, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals and Westminster College. Glauser earned his doctorate at Purdue University and will also be a clinical professor at the Huntsman School of Business, according to Dean Douglas Anderson. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah.

“He is uniquely qualified to take on this assignment and will, I am sure, provide outstanding leadership in our efforts to foster and develop the entrepreneurial spirit of our great students,” Anderson said. “Like many of our professors, he can bring a mix of workplace and academic experience to this position. This is a wonderful development for the students we serve.”

Glauser said his interest in the Huntsman School of Business grew when he learned about the school’s emphasis on fueling the students’ entrepreneurial instincts. He was a featured speaker in spring 2011 during e-Week, a time when a number of on-campus activities are held aimed at sparking more innovative thinking.

“I am impressed with the development of the Huntsman School of Business during the past few years, and I really enjoyed the time I spent with the students,” he said. “The prospect of building on the momentum the school already has and fueling the entrepreneurial fires at USU intrigued me. I’m looking forward to joining the team in July.”

Since 1997, Glauser has worked as a consultant, and his clients have included Associated Food Stores, The Boeing Company and Saudi Consolidated Services. He also wrote the book The Business of Heart: How Every Day Americans Are Changing the World.

Glauser has appeared on Bloomberg’s Business News, Great Day America, Voice of America, Good Morning Chicago and the Associated Press Radio.

The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University seeks to inspire and equip students to become innovative, ethical leaders with refined analytical skills that will help them understand and succeed in the global marketplace. The Huntsman School of Business is one of eight colleges at USU, located in northern Utah.

More information about the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business may be found at its website.

Contact: Steve Eaton, (435) 797-8640, steve.eaton@usu.edu