Marriott School Professor Wins National Tax Award

PROVO, Utah — Jan 19, 2007 — Gary Cornia’s face lights up when he talks about his work in taxes. “I love the topic I research,” he says. “Taxes are the funnest thing in the world. I love coming to work.”

Cornia’s enthusiasm for and dedication to state and local finance and tax policy has garnered national recognition. The National Tax Association presented him with the 2006 Stephen D. Gold Award in December.

“This is humbling,” Cornia says. “There were and are so many qualified people who deserved this award.”

Cornia’s work in tax policy and at the Marriott School speaks for itself. From 2002 to 2003, he served as president of the National Tax Association. He continues to serve on several boards and committees such as the Land Reform Training Institute in Taiwan, the Governor’s Tax Review Commission and as a fellow of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy based in Cambridge, Mass.

“Gary Cornia is not only widely respected as an expert on taxation issues but also highly regarded and deeply loved by the faculty, staff, and administration of the Marriott School and the university,” says Dean Ned Hill. “He is a man of complete integrity and we are fortunate to have a world-class man like him.”

At the Marriott School, Cornia keeps busy as director of the Romney Institute of Public Management and Stewart Grow Professor of Public Management.

“This is the greatest job in the world,” he says. “I get to work with stimulating, smart young people and elected and appointed public officials. The Marriott School and the university support and encourage my colleagues and me to research and be involved in the community.”

His research and community involvement have distinguished Cornia among his academic and professional contemporaries.

“It’s his lifetime commitment to tax policy and academics in a practical, applied perspective that is so recognized among his colleagues,” says Rex L. Facer, professor of public management. “He was given a standing ovation at the presentation ceremony. We’re very fortunate to have him and his international reputation here.”

Past recipients of the Stephen D. Gold Award include: Robert P. Strauss, a professor of economics at Carnegie-Mellon University; Helen F. Ladd, a professor of economics at Duke University; and Robert D. Ebel, who was lead economist for the World Bank and is now chief economist for the Washington, D.C. government.

The Romney Institute of Public Management is part of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management. The institute was named in 1998 for three-term Michigan Governor George W. Romney. The Romney Institute offers a master’s degree in public administration through both pre-service and executive programs. The institute has a long tradition of preparing young people for careers in public service and is dedicated to educating men and women of faith, character and professional ability who will become outstanding managers and leaders in public and not-for-profit institutions.