BYU Marketing Professor Joins Global Research Center

PROVO, Utah – Mar 31, 2011 – It's not every day a professor is asked to collaborate with a Fortune 500 company, let alone report to its top executives. Brigham Young University assistant professor of marketing Sterling Bone will get a chance to do just that as he becomes a research faculty member of Arizona State University's Center for Services Leadership, bringing him into a community of thought leaders in the field of services marketing.

Founded in 1985 to bridge the gap between academic research and practical application, the CSL brings together top researchers and service industry practitioners to strategize on various projects while still maintaining their current teaching posts. Bone is collaborating with CSL colleagues on a long-term project for a global technology leader.

"Without question, Arizona State has the premier services research center in the country," says Bruce Money, business management department chair. "The Marriott School of Management has a growing presence in this area. It's a real honor for Sterling and BYU to be given this appointment." 

The invitation-only CSL partnership features 60 professors from 35 schools around the globe, as well as professionals from more than 50 organizations, including the Mayo Clinic, Sony and Marriott International. In order to join the CSL Faculty Network, faculty members must have an exceptional academic reputation, expertise within the service sector and a firm commitment to advancing knowledge in the field.

Bone says this unique opportunity will not only help bring the Marriott School to the forefront of the growing realm of services research but will also provide new opportunities for students and professors, including potential internships and cross-discipline research collaboration.

"I have the opportunity to work with scholars and practitioners who look to the Marriott School as a leader in advancing knowledge and the well-being of society," Bone says. "It's a privilege to represent BYU in this very diverse group of thought leaders."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.