Experience Design and Management News 

Katelyn Bell, a senior in the ExDM program at BYU Marriott, helped plan the launch for the Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership, which included a zipline across Brigham Square on campus.

With the goal to enrich belonging on campus, the Experience Design Society (ExDS) and the Marriott Inclusion Business Society (MIBS) co-hosted "Sit with Me," an event focused on practicing collaborative dialogue.

A new BYU study found that individuals who had the healthiest identity development also had high levels of family history knowledge.

The BYU Marriott School of Business welcomed the international Experience Research Society (EXPRESSO) for its third annual Seven Experiences Summit in the fall 2022 semester. More than 100 people from eight different countries attended the society’s first in-person event.

When she was in fourth grade, Michaela Horn wanted to run for class president. So when the sign-up sheet landed on her desk, she wrote her name down. Then she noticed the name of another student also running for president, and doubting herself, Horn erased her name off the list. Now an experience and design management (ExDM) student and the program’s student association team lead, Horn is grateful for the confidence and empowerment she has gained since the fourth grade to follow her aspirations.

Neil Lundberg, the chair of the Department of Experience Design and Management, has witnessed the Experience Design and Management (ExDM) program change and evolve. As the program transitioned into what it is today at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Lundberg has adapted alongside it.

As a student at the BYU Marriott School of Business in the then-fledgling experience design management program (ExDM), Breck Laing broadened his career opportunities by developing transferable business skills. Now with his job at Destinations, a travel company that specializes in corporate retreats, the 2013 alum expands other people’s worlds and opportunities. 

As an artist and musician, Alexa Fox wanted a career that would enable her to use her creativity. Fox discovered the experience design and management program at BYU Marriott and, now a senior, is using the program's blend of creativity and business skills to prepare for a career in consulting.

At the BYU Marriott School of Business, seniors are not the only ones looking for a final project. After teaching at BYU Marriott for 23 years, experience design management professor Brian Hill started searching for a culminating capstone to his career. As part of that pursuit, Hill applied for and received a Fulbright scholarship to teach at the University of Salzburg in Austria.

Being the head coach of the BYU men’s extramural soccer team means Brandon Gilliam is often stretched to the limits of both his time and resources. However, the BYU Marriott recreation management and youth leadership alumnus stays in the game because he can think of few things better than helping young people develop their passions.

Thirty experience design and management students traveled to Europe this summer to climb glaciers, see puffins, and participate in immersive games and performances. These activities were part of a BYU Marriott School of Business study abroad program dedicated to furthering students’ understanding of how to design memorable experiences.

While serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Stuttgart, Germany, Ross Storey was planning on being a graphic designer when he returned home. However, a conversation with a stranger he met on the street led Storey to change his plans, which eventually resulted in him working at the Provo Missionary Training Center and teaching as an adjunct experience design and management professor at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

Many students feel apprehension as college graduation approaches, particularly about the hunt for full-time employment. Students in the experience design and management (ExDM) program at the BYU Marriott School of Business are no exception. To help ease students’ stress, ExDM faculty added a new section to its ExDM 490R: Topics in Experience Design and Management course during the winter 2022 semester, a section that was so successful that the department plans on turning it into a new course.

While she enjoyed being a student teacher for high school history, Jasmine Townsend realized she wanted to spend more time outdoors. Through a master’s degree in youth and family recreation from BYU, Townsend learned she could continue to teach while also having the chance to be outside.

Although he originally wanted to pursue a career in medicine, Nalu Medeiros became interested in business after taking an accounting class at the BYU Marriott School of Business. After completing Accounting 200: Principles of Accounting, Medeiros met with a counselor to learn about the different majors at BYU Marriott, and one in particular caught his eye: the recreation management program.

Nine students at the BYU Marriott School of Business were recently honored as 2022 Bateman Award recipients for their excellence both inside and outside the classroom. The annual award, named for Merrill J. Bateman, allows each undergraduate program at BYU Marriott to select a 2021–22 academic year senior for recognition.

While their classmates shivered through another week during the Utah winter, two experience design and management students enjoyed the sunny coasts of Hollywood Beach, Florida. Camille Cooper and Kylie Jensen attended the Stadium Managers Association seminar in February as scholarship recipients and interns, honing skills they learn at the BYU Marriott School of Business and preparing for their future careers.

After taking classes for three potential majors at BYU and not finding what he was looking for, Joshua Beacham discovered the experience design and management major at the BYU Marriott School of Business. Now a senior in the program, Beacham came to realize the major was the perfect fit for his career goals.

A recent study co-authored by BYU Marriott professor Camilla Hodge finds that the U.S.’s Every Kid Outdoors program, which gives families with fourth graders free access to national parks, is leading to an increased frequency of hiking with children.

At the end of every academic year, BYU awards one professor from each college with the Inspiring Learning Award. Experience design and management professor Ramon Zabriskie is the 2022 BYU Marriott School of Business recipient for the student-nominated award. The honor recognizes a faculty or staff member’s dedication to student growth through active mentoring.