Information Systems News 

The Marriott School of Management’s accounting program ranked 3rd and its international business program ranked 19th in specialty categories in U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” survey, up from 5th and 21st respectively in 2006. “We are extremely pleased by the recognition our program receives in U.S.News & World Report,” says Kevin Stocks, director of the School of Accountancy.

A Marriott School of Management alumnus and three faculty members will be presented with the prestigious John B. Thurston Award at the Institute of Internal Auditors International Conference July 8-11 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, for their article about how to protect wireless networks from hackers. The award is given annually for the best article appearing in Internal Auditor, published by the Institute of Internal Auditors, a leading authority on international auditing.

BYU information systems students stole the show with their technology and problem-solving abilities during competition at the Association of Information Technology Professionals National Collegiate Conference, held this spring in Detroit. Faced with competition from more than sixty other schools, some with twenty or more entrants, the six BYU students left with eight competition awards—more than any other school.

The planned addition to the N. Eldon Tanner Building is officially underway after ground was broken on the campus of Brigham Young University April 25. The groundbreaking ceremony was conducted by President Cecil O. Samuelson, with Elder W. Rolfe Kerr of the Seventy and Commissioner of Church Education, presiding over activities.

When BYU junior J.T. Davis was fourteen years old and first read a book about Warren Buffett, he never imagined that one day he’d be riding in the front seat of Buffett’s Cadillac DTS. But on March 30 Davis had just that opportunity. As one of 70 BYU participants, Davis, an investment student from Plano, Texas, attended a Q&A session and lunched with the famed “Oracle of Omaha,” an opportunity Buffett has extended to 35 universities during the 2006-2007 school year.

Rock, paper, scissors, GO! April 6 marks the day of what a group of Brigham Young University students hope will be the largest rock, paper, scissors competition on record. The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Deseret Towers field. Hosted by BYU’s Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization, the competition is open to the general public and intended to make it into the Guinness World Records.

Calle, a company that wants to be a premier brand for street soccer players, was named winner of the 2007 Business Plan Competition and accepted a $52,500 award of cash and in-kind services. Since the competition’s submission process began in November, Calle worked to stand out from almost 140 idea pitches, 43 original business plans, eight semi-finalists and finally three final teams that presented their business plans March 30.

Six BYU undergraduates will shortly begin new internships thanks to an unconventional internship competition sponsored last month by the Marriott School Undergraduate Management office. The competition, loosely based on the popular TV show “The Apprentice,” showcased participants’ interviewing and presenting in front of an audience.

BusinessWeek magazine ranked Brigham Young University’s undergraduate management program eighth overall and second among recruiters in the most comprehensive ranking of U.S. undergraduate business programs to date. The school was also ranked first in return on tuition for private colleges. The magazine cited the program’s ethics-based education and high-caliber recruiters as strengths.

An increase in the stock market's overall performance, like the one that took place in October, can turn inexperienced investors into trade-happy amateurs, according to Brigham Young University business professors in a study published in The Review of Financial Studies. "When investors start off in the market, they tend to trade pretty conservatively," said Steven Thorley, the H. Taylor Peery professor of finance at BYU's Marriott School of Management. "In periods where the overall stock market performs well, they see a good return on their portfolio and figure they are good at picking stocks, so they start to trade more frequently."

Brigham Young University is ranked 70th in U.S.News & World Report's annual survey, "America's Best Colleges," with the Marriott School of Management's undergraduate program ranked among the top 50 in "Best Business Programs," coming in at 37th. The Aug. 28 issue of U.S.News & World Report, which hits newsstands Monday, ranks about 1,400 four-year accredited colleges and universities by mission and region.

Brigham Young University doesn’t offer a PhD in accounting or information systems, but not because professors are afraid their students will replace them at the front of the class — in fact, they’re hoping some may do just that. Marriott School of Management accounting and information systems professors developed a unique, hands-on doctoral preparation program to coach select students on what to expect from rigorous PhD schools.

The Marriott School of Management will host its 11th Annual BYU Management Conference June 29 – July 1, 2006. This traditional event will feature internationally and nationally renowned speakers such as Jon M. Huntsman, Sr., Chairman, Huntsman Corporation; Kim Smith, Vice President, Goldman Sachs & Co.; Bruce Reece, President and CEO, Bonneville International Corporation; and Elder Ben B. Banks, Emeritus General Authority and Director of Hosting, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It is not everyday students hear from someone whose life surpassed their dreams. Dell CEO Kevin Rollins spoke to Marriott School graduates encouraging them to dream big and live even bigger at Friday’s convocation. Rollins, the keynote speaker, told students that in addition to dreaming big they should work hard, give back and maintain balance.

BusinessWeek magazine ranked Brigham Young University’s undergraduate management program eighth overall and first among recruiters in the most comprehensive ranking of U.S. undergraduate business programs to date. The magazine cited the program’s stellar accounting program and ethics-based education as strengths.

A team of Marriott School accounting students earned second place at the 11th Annual National Student Case Study Seminar sponsored by the Deloitte Foundation. Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. took first place. Other national finalist teams represented Pennsylvania State University, University of Notre Dame, University of Illinois and University of Wisconsin – Madison.

At the Association of Information Technology Professionals National Collegiate Conference, all four competing BYU information systems teams earned top awards for their computer programming and problem solving skills. The March 30 to April 1 competition, held in Dallas, was the largest in AITP history with more than 500 students participating in 13 categories.

More than $100,000 in cash and business services are up for grabs Friday as judges pick the most promising new enterprises at Brigham Young University’s Business Plan Competition. The final event, where one of three final teams will walk away with the grand prize valued at $50,000, will take place at 2 p.m. in room 140 of BYU’s Joseph Smith Building.

Who picks up the tab when you go to lunch with a billionaire? Warren Buffett, the world’s second-richest man, treated 22 BYU students to lunch and a 90-minute Q&A session in Omaha, Neb. The students, enrolled in investment classes, and their professors from the Marriott School of Management, jumped at the invitation to meet with Buffett — arguably the world’s greatest investor.

“Buongiorno principessa” may help you get a date, but it probably won’t help you get a job. Taking one of 11 business language classes might. Not only does BYU have one of the most bilingual campuses in the country, it also offers an excellent selection of business language courses (Bus M 596R). These courses add a business dimension to a student’s existing language skills.