The Wall Street Journal ranked BYU’s MBA program first in the nation among regional schools in the paper’s 2007 report of top business programs, up from third in 2006 and sixth in 2005. The Marriott School was also ranked No. 2, behind Dartmouth College, as one of the best schools for hiring graduates with strong ethical standards.

The newspaper categorized national and regional schools based on the type of recruiters they attract—regional schools tend to attract more recruiters from a particular region, whereas national schools attract recruiters from a broader geographic area.

This year’s top regional schools are (1) BYU, (2) Wake Forest University, (3) Ohio State University, (4) University of Rochester, and (5) Indiana University. The top national schools are (1) Dartmouth College, (2) University of California, Berkeley, (3) Columbia University, (4) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and (5) Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition to the top regional honor and strong showing in ethics, BYU placed fourth in the paper’s “accounting” honor roll and ranked ninth in “corporate social responsibility.”

“Year in and year out, recruiters rave about graduates’ maturity, competitive drive, integrity, and international experience, especially from their missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” the paper reported about BYU. “Academically, the Marriott School receives high marks in the Journal survey for its accounting program. Some recruiters are also finding that more Brigham Young MBAs make a good fit for investment banking.”

BYU MBA program director James Engebretsen says, “Our focus on investment banking is fairly new and still relatively small, but we’re finding it to be a good fit for an increasing number of our students. It’s rewarding to see Wall Street valuing our students in this area as well as recognizing their strong work ethic, integrity, and the great professional training provided by our faculty.”

This is the seventh year The Wall Street Journal has evaluated MBA programs around the world. More than 4,400 recruiters who hire full-time business school graduates participated in the 2007 survey. Recruiters evaluated schools on three components. Equal weight was given to perceptions of the school and its students, the likelihood of recruiting and hiring at the school in the future, and mass appeal—the total number of participating recruiters who recruit at the school. Perceptions of the school and its students were based on twenty-one attributes such as analytical and problem-solving skills, communication and interpersonal skills, faculty expertise, curriculum content, leadership potential, and career services at the school.


The Marriott School is honoring the late Sheri Joy Bischoff, professor of organizational behavior, with a new scholarship.

Bischoff’s family, friends, former students, and colleagues made contributions totaling more than $40,000 to create an endowed scholarship in her name. Each academic year a $2,000 Bischoff Scholarship will be awarded to an MBA student majoring in OBHR. Kristin Hawkes, a second-year MBA student from Salt Lake City, will receive the first Bischoff Scholarship in January 2008. The scholarship committee chooses recipients according to financial need, academic achievement, and a commitment to use their education to help others.

“Sheri Bischoff exemplified what BYU is all about—faith, respect, competence, and love,” says Ned Hill, Marriott School dean. “I could not be more pleased to see that her family and colleagues have helped us create a lasting memory in the form of an endowed scholarship to honor a gifted and inspiring teacher and friend.”

From 1994 to 2003, Bischoff taught in the Department of Organizational Leadership and Strategy, developing a reputation for caring, a great sense of humor, and dedication to her work and family. She died 18 March 2003, after battling cancer for six years.

In 1998, Bischoff was presented with the Outstanding Mentor Award by graduate students in organizational behavior. She was uniquely able to connect with her students by sustaining a warm learning environment in which students developed critical thinking skills and stronger testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She received the Marriott School Teaching Excellence Award in 2001.


Last summer nineteen Korean executives from Hyundai Heavy Industries got a surprise crash course in American biking culture when a pack of Harley-Davidsons roared into the Marriott School’s parking lot to enhance the visitors’ classroom studies. For eleven years HHI, the top shipbuilder in the world, has sent its managers to the Marriott School for three months of training in business English, ethics, marketing, and more.

“We have become one of the most important training programs that Hyundai has,” says Robert Holcombe, the program’s administrator. “In fact the company has felt it is so important that they have an experience at BYU that managers must participate in order to advance at HHI.”

During a weeklong focus on business strategy, assistant professor David Bryce used a case study of Harley-Davidson Inc. to illustrate principles of strategic maneuvering. Specifically, Bryce taught that Harley-Davidson’s sales are driven primarily by unrivaled brand loyalty.

“Few companies in the world enjoy loyalty so strong that customers are willing to tattoo the brand onto their bodies,” Bryce says. “Competitors interested in challenging Harley’s dominance in the heavy bike segment will have to find a way to reduce or duplicate this incredible loyalty.”

The Korean visitors, most of whom were unfamiliar with American motorcycles, got a closer look at this strategic advantage when seven Harley-Davidsons dropped their kickstands just outside the Marriott School. The bikers represented the Provo Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, or HOG, a national organization—independent from Harley-Davidson Inc.—that fosters a lifestyle of adventure and freedom that helps fuel the company’s success.


Making the right decisions is critical to leading a successful life, Citigroup CFO Gary Crittenden told students and faculty at the 2007 Marriott School Honored Alumni Lecture 20 September.

Crittenden was chosen as the Marriott School’s 2007 Honored Alum as part of BYU’s annual homecoming tradition of recognizing an outstanding graduate from each of the university’s colleges.

“We’re very pleased to have Gary Crittenden as our honored alum this year,” says Dean Ned Hill. “He is a wonderful friend of BYU and one of its most distinguished alumni.”

“Five decisions have been particularly important during the course of my life,” Crittenden said. “While a student at the Marriott School, I made the decision to get the best education possible, despite financial difficulties. The things you’re doing now turn out to actually matter,” he told students. He also encouraged listeners to marry the right person, take risks, exercise, and be obedient.

Crittenden earned a BA in management from BYU in 1976 and an MBA from Harvard in 1979. He proved his considerable financial ability as CFO of Sears, Roebuck and Co.; Monsanto Co.; and American Express before accepting his current position as CFO of Citigroup Inc., a global financial services holding company with more than $1.8 trillion in assets, in March 2007.


The new year brought leadership changes in the Marriott School’s MBA program. Jim Stice returned to his accounting faculty responsibilities after nine years as associate director, academic director, and director of the program. Taking over as academic director is Craig Merrill, who previously served as chair of the MBA curriculum committee. He will join Jim Engebretsen, who continues to serve as a director of the program.

“We have deep appreciation for Jim Stice’s excellent service, and we’re excited for Craig Merrill as he moves into this new position,” says Marriott School Dean Ned Hill.


The American Accounting Association presented the 2007 Innovations in Accounting Education Award to BYU’s School of Accountancy at its conference in Chicago. BYU—the only school to win the award twice—was recognized specifically for its PhD Prep program developed by the School of Accountancy.

While BYU has no doctoral program in accounting, the PhD Prep program prepares selected accounting students to enter into top-level PhD programs. This program leads the nation in providing qualified students for PhD programs, placing forty-two students in doctoral accounting programs in the last six years. BYU Master of Accountancy students in the PhD Prep track take classes in statistics and economics as well as courses in academic research.

“This award recognizes that we are on the forefront of addressing the issues concerning accounting education,” says Kevin D. Stocks, director of the School of Accountancy. “One of the primary concerns in accounting education is too few PhD students. We have established a model that has increased student interest in accounting PhD programs, a model that can be implemented in some form in any graduate accounting program throughout the country.”

Each year the AAA presents the Innovations in Accounting Education Award to an individual, group, or institution to recognize significant contributions to accounting education. The selection committee chooses the winner based on three criteria: innovation, demonstrated educational benefits, and adaptability for other educational institutions.

In 1993 the accounting program at BYU won the AAA Innovations in Accounting Education Award for its Junior Core program. This integrated approach to accounting education remains a foundation of the BYU accounting program.


The Marriott School’s Institute of Marketing named Laura Thompson, from Laguna Hills, California, as its 2007 Outstanding Marketing Student. Thompson and sixteen other undergraduate marketing students were awarded scholarships during a luncheon held 13 September. Scholarship recipients were chosen based on merit, need, and a strong background and interest in marketing.

“These scholarships are made possible by our alumni and corporate friends who appreciate the achievements of the students and have a tremendous affinity for the Marriott School,” says David Alcorn, director of the institute. “These are students of wonderful character and intellect. They’ve already demonstrated willingness to give back to their communities, and I have no doubt they will continue to do so as leaders in the future.”

Corporate partners Kohl’s, Lands’ End, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart funded scholarships, and seven endowed scholarships were awarded. Endowed scholarships were provided by Big and Tall Associates; Richard G. Bolinder; Larry Dahle; E. Ronald and Dorothy M. Erickson; Alan R. and Caroline Johnson; E. Doyle and Beth S. Robison; and Marriott School marketing faculty.

Juniors receiving scholarships were Rebecca Lindstone, from Loveland, Colorado, and Michele O’Neill, from Portland, Oregon.

Seniors receiving scholarships were Stephanie Andersen, from Preston, Idaho; Hee June An, from Provo; Derek Athey, from Casper, Wyoming; Jessica Ellenburg, from Rocklin, California; Eric Hass, from Seattle, Washington; Timothy Headrick, from Champion, Ohio; Bryant Hoopes, from Sandy, Utah; Teodora Hristova, from Sofia, Bulgaria; Aubrey Janzen, from Highlands Ranch, Colorado; Wesley Owen, from Eagle Mountain, Utah; Jacie Summers Pierce, from Parker, Colorado; Ben Rasmussen, from West Point, Utah; Tori Rasmussen, from Villa Park, California; and Jeremy Zavoral, from Citrus Heights, California.


The Marriott School’s undergraduate and graduate accounting programs ranked second in Public Accounting Report’s Annual Survey of Accounting Professors. Every year since 1995 the survey has positioned both BYU accounting programs among the top three in the nation.

“We are very delighted for the recognition of our peers concerning the quality of the program we have,” says Kevin Stocks, director of the School of Accountancy. “To be ranked this highly for so long is a pretty unique accomplishment.”

In the ranking survey, accounting professors and accounting department heads around the nation were asked to name programs that turn out students capable of gaining partner status in the future.

“Accounting faculty members often are influential in shaping the perceptions and career decisions of students,” states the report. “This survey seeks to measure the perceptions that faculty bring to that advisory role.”

The 2007 top undergraduate accounting programs are University of Texas, BYU, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, University of Notre Dame, and University of Southern California. In the undergraduate division, BYU and University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign tied in second place. The top master-level programs are University of Texas, BYU, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, University of Southern California, and University of Notre Dame.

Published by the Marriott School at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Copyright 2012 by Brigham Young University. All rights reserved. All communications should be sent to Marriott Alumni Magazine, 490 Tanner Building, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. Email: marriottmag@byu.edu. Telephone: (801) 422-5083. Fax: (801) 422-0501. The views expressed are those of the various authors and not necessarily the Marriott School. Change your mailing address here.