Experience Design and Management News 

For many students, college can be a transformative and enlightening time. When Rachel Merrill, a 2020 BYU Marriott experience design and management (ExDM) graduate, took ExDM 300, Creating a Good Life Through Experience Design as a freshman, she wasn’t expecting a class that would change her outlook on life. However, after learning about principles such as the psychology of happiness and the power of intentional choices, Merrill is one of the many students who are enjoying the positive benefits from the popular experience design and management class even after the class has ended.

The BYU Marriott School of Business named eleven recent graduates as 2020 Merrill J. Bateman Outstanding Student Award winners.

BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte C. Madrian has announced the appointment of Bonnie Anderson as the school’s newest associate dean. Anderson takes over for previous associate dean Keith Vorkink on 18 May.

When Katie Morgan took a social innovation class at BYU last semester, she didn't anticipate joining a research group based on empowering women. However, while completing a class assignment, Morgan became aware of the inequalities many women face around the world and felt a desire to see how she could help at home in the United States. Her desire led her to join a newly formed BYU Marriott research group, the Women's Empowerment Research team.

For BYU Marriott experience design and management assistant professor Sarah Agate, the common phrase “a family that plays together, stays together” couldn’t be more true.

By the time college starts, most students have gotten rid of their childhood toys. But for BYU Marriott’s Experience Design and Management (EXDM) program, professors encourage students to play with toys—in fact, it’s a requirement for one class. 

The Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business welcomes seven new professors to the Tanner Building this fall.

While working as a white-water rafting guide in central Idaho during high school, Mat Duerden got his first taste of how experience design can impact lives. As he led the trips, Duerden would see his groups’ demeanor slowly change but wasn’t sure why. Now an associate professor in BYU Marriott’s experience design and management (ExDM) program, Duerden has found the answer.

BYU Marriott ExDM professor Brian Hill, along with three other BYU professors, recently led a group of fourteen students on a six-week expedition exploring Utah’s natural wonders.

Kickboxing, kayaking, and rock climbing are challenging activities, and for those with physical or mental disabilities, they can seem nearly impossible. However, the group of over six hundred people who recently gathered at Lake Tahoe would tell you otherwise.

During the 2019 spring term, BYU Marriott experience design and management student Lindsey Sampson river rafted in Thailand, visited the great mountains of Nepal, and climbed the Great Wall of China—all for school credit. For Sampson, the ExDM program’s first-ever study abroad was the trip of a lifetime.

Emily Codling knows what she wants and chases each enticing opportunity that comes her way. From running events in New York City to managing programs at Yale University, this BYU Marriott recreational management alumna accomplishes what she sets her mind to. The secret to living your dreams, she says, is asking for the opportunity to do so.

Climbing the tallest mountains in the world, running a marathon, learning to fly, and doing research in Uganda are incredible feats on their own—and BYU Marriott professor Stacy Taniguchi has done them all. "This is a life to thrive," he teaches his students. Retiring from BYU Marriott after eighteen years, Taniguchi will be remembered for his adventure-filled stories and inspirational advice.

Pointillism, or art created by many small dots that create a cohesive picture, can give insightful perspective on a student's journey. Both are composed of many occurrences that are inconsequential on their own but create a larger, more impactful experience when seen as a whole. BYU Marriott's experience design and management (ExDM) students received that piece of wisdom along with much more at the department's first-ever Senior Peak Experience.

What role does emotion play in a transformative experience? That’s what BYU Marriott experience design management student researchers will present on in Melbourne, Australia.

Every year the BYU Marriott School of Business nonprofit management minor program sends students to the Alliance Management Institute Conference in Orlando, Florida, to participate in case studies, interviews, speakers, and competitions. Between the students' work ethic outside of class and BYU Marriott's nonprofit program classes, the students prepared to win big this year in Orlando.

Finding a degree that encompasses everything a student wants in a career can be hard. Lisa Stringham, who was looking for a business core and a creative outlet, found the Department of Experience Design and Management program at BYU Marriott had a lot to offer.

After six months of anticipation, Brigham Young University finally welcomes its newest dean. On 1 January 2019, Brigitte C. Madrian began her tenure as dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business.

New experience design and therapeutic recreation students cultivated new relationships with professors and peers during an outdoor adventure.

Fencing, paragliding, and rowing gondolas are a few of the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that students had on the Experience Design and Management Study Abroad.