Letter from Director Craig Merrill

It is my honor and pleasure to try to fill Jim Stice's shoes as the MBA program director. I have been teaching in the MBA program for almost fifteen years, and it is an exciting time to have this opportunity to serve. Let me just briefly introduce myself. I came to BYU after completing my studies at the University of Pennsylvania. I have been teaching risk management and derivatives classes based upon my research and consulting activities. I have taught undergraduate, masters of accounting, and MBA students (Please don't tell the others, but I love teaching the MBA students). My family includes my wife, Andrea, and our three children. You can see more, if you are interested, by visiting my BYU web page at merrill.byu.edu.

I would like to share a little of what is going on currently in the MBA program. Our career center is growing, as is the number and quality of companies recruiting on campus. Our class size is up to 160 students per year and the quality of the students continues to increase. And we have an exciting new leadership course that is integral to our first-year curriculum.

In the last newsletter you heard of Jim Engebretsen's increased involvement in the MBA program. Jim and the entire career center are doing great things. We have more companies recruiting on campus than ever before. These corporate relationships are being managed by a growing group of accomplished alumni who are here to help expand the opportunities available to our current and future students. We invite you to join us in mentoring our students as a way of giving back to the MBA program. Alumni are the key to opening more doors to our students.

Our class size has grown during the past couple of years from 120 per year to about 160 per year. The exciting news is that the quality of students in our class has increased along with the class size. As always, the real thrill is in the individual interaction more than in the class statistics. I get excited when I see a student leave here with increased opportunities because of the MBA experience. We feel blessed to have a growing pool of very qualified students as we grow to fill the new addition next year.

Finally, we have a new leadership class in our first-year curriculum. Group work has always been an important part of the experience. Now we will be more proactive in using the student groups to facilitate learning through assignments in all of the first semester classes. We will use our leadership class to help our students refine their inherent ability to make a positive contribution in their groups, communities, firms, families, and church. The students will begin in orientation with self-awareness exercises that will lead into the fall semester leadership class. The class will be based upon learning to use personal skills and abilities more effectively in order to help the group succeed.

Of course, each of you are key to our reputation. It has always been our graduates who are our best advertisement. I appreciate the way that you represent BYU as you move your companies forward and live life in such a way that improves the world around you. Thank you for all you do.

Warmest regards,

Craig Merrill

MBA Director

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