BYU’s AIS Chapter Named Chapter of the Year

PROVO, Utah – Oct 29, 2015 – They’re not just the best in Utah or the best in the West; Brigham Young University’s Association for Information Systems chapter has been recognized as the best in the world. The chapter was recently named the 2014-15 Student Chapter of the Year, the highest honor given to student chapters of the professional organization.

“We’re extremely happy to be recognized,” says Travis Selland, second-year MISM student and AIS co-president. “We have fantastic students and faculty that have worked together to make our chapter successful.”

The Student Chapter of the Year award is given to the chapter that demonstrates an exceptional, well-rounded and organized program. The award is based on each chapter’s annual report judged by a worldwide committee of faculty. Chapters report statistics in areas such as professional development, community service, fundraising, membership and communication.  

BYU’s AIS chapter maintains a historically strong showing in the professional development category — approximately half of students who are placed at full-time jobs go to one of the chapter’s sponsoring companies. And according to BYU’s report, enrollment of new members in the chapter jumped 117 percent last year. Professor Tom Meservy, faculty adviser to the chapter, attributes this growth to the culmination of a few factors.

“One thing we’ve done is promote the major earlier,” says Meservy. “That includes reaching out to some of the lower-level classes. We’ve also focused on recruiting women, and we’re really excited about the diversity and talent coming in. Not only are our numbers up as far as chapter membership but also the quality of students we’re getting is excellent.

Professor Marshall Romney, information systems department chair, says the award is great recognition for not only the chapter but also the whole department.

“We are delighted that all of the hard work put in by our students and Dr. Meservy has been recognized,” says Romney. “We truly do have an outstanding AIS chapter here at BYU.”

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, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems and public management. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,300 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.