Marriott School Announces 2008 Merrill J. Bateman Awards

From L to R: Dean Ned Hill, Michael Flett and Merrill J. Bateman.
Merrill J. Bateman and Christy Hellewell.

PROVO, Utah — May 21, 2008 — Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management announced the winners of the 2008 Merrill J. Bateman Awards, the only school-wide awards selected entirely by students.

Christy Hellewell, from Bountiful, Utah, and Michael Flett, from Teresopolis, Brazil, received Merrill J. Bateman Outstanding Student Awards, and J. Michael Pinegar, professor of finance, received the Merrill J. Bateman Student Choice Award.

The Merrill J. Bateman Outstanding Student Award is given annually to one undergraduate and one graduate student in recognition of their support to the Marriott School, service to the community, participation in networking and professional development.

At the awards presentation, Kyle Poll, president of the Marriott School Student Council, said, “As so many nominations for these prestigious awards rolled in, it was amazing to see not only the caliber of students at this school but also the respect their classmates hold for them.”

Undergraduate winner Christy Hellewell, a senior majoring in business marketing, serves as vice president of the Marriott School Undergraduate Student Association, where she helps organize socials, service projects and other activities. She was one of two students who represented the school at the Undergraduate Leadership Conference at Emory University and was also selected to work as a student liaison to alumni and donors on the President’s Leadership Council.

Graduate winner Michael Flett, a second-year MBA student with an emphasis in finance, sold nearly everything he owned to come to BYU with his wife and two children. He served on the Marriott School Diversity Board and as president of the International Graduate Student Association, where he worked to improve the experiences of international students and their spouses. He also served as a mentor to new finance students and as a judge for the Portuguese Business Case Competition at BYU.

The Merrill J. Bateman Student Choice Award is given to a faculty member, staff member or administrator who mentors students, participates in student activities and acts as an exemplary personal and professional example. J. Michael Pinegar, the Joel C. Peterson Professor of Finance, joined the Marriott School faculty in 1988 and has received numerous awards for his teaching and research. His reputation for putting students first stems from his commitment to learn every student’s name and his willingness to devote extra time and attention to help students outside of class.

Merrill J. Bateman, president of BYU from 1996 to 2003, delivered the keynote address at the awards ceremony. Bateman served as dean of the BYU College of Business from 1975 to 1979, before it was named the Marriott School. He has held several prominent leadership positions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and now serves as president of the Provo Utah Temple.

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.