A Closer Look at Cornia

When Gary Cornia was a missionary in Maryland’s Chevy Chase ward, he got used to seeing new faces in the investigators class. But visitors often did double takes when J. Willard and Alice Marriott, two of Washington, D.C.,’s most prominent figures, sat next to them on the metal folding chairs.

“Can you imagine how powerful it was to bring people to church and have the Marriotts in your Sunday School class?” Cornia asks. “They were absolute paragons of what the church is all about.”

Their presence impacted not only the visitors but also Cornia, who began his tenure as Marriott School dean 1 July. “People like the Marriotts, who came from humble backgrounds, made me think that perhaps I could do something with my life. School suddenly became important to me, finding a profession became important to me, and it was because of my mission experience and meeting people like the Marriotts,” he recalls.

As Cornia takes the helm of the school bearing the Marriott name—at a time when the school is physically expanding and its reputation is climbing—those experiences in the investigators class have come full circle. Cornia’s colleagues are confident his affable personality, vast experience, and goals will motivate new students and keep the school on its upward trajectory.

A Look Through Cornia’s Eyes

Recently Cornia and his wife, Laurel, were watching the play A Catered Affair in New York City. In one scene a man says to his niece, “You’ve just gotta close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go.”

The line resonated with Cornia. “Life is about taking deep breaths and doing things—and having fun is very important,” he adds. “Coming to work and enjoying being at work is important, just like going home and having fun is important.”

Cornia makes every attempt to live that philosophy. A joker, a laugher, and an occasional heckler at BYU sporting events, his sense of humor precedes him. “My kids would say, ‘Our dad has mastered the art of embarrassing us, and we have mastered the art of giving the polite laugh to get him to stop.’ I embarrass them no matter where or what we’re doing.”

Whether good-natured teasing or witty banter, it’s hard to walk away from a conversation with Cornia without a smile. “Gary’s sense of humor is the best part of his personality,” says his wife, Laurel. “He’s always peppering conversations with quick, funny remarks. He really likes to make people laugh.”

That sense of humor is coupled with a hardworking nature that literally keeps him on his feet—professionally and personally.

“He’s always on the go,” Laurel says. “He works hard every day. He loves going to work and helping students.”

Cornia starts most days at 5:30 a.m. with a run around his neighborhood; he’s worn out more than a few pairs of jogging shoes. “But calling it running might be a stretch,” he quips. “Nobody uses a speed gun on me.”

And just in case you’re not convinced that Cornia’s a mover, here’s another fact: he often eats standing up, a trait he inherited from his mother. “I have no idea why I like eating that way,” he says. “When I’m at a family party, they know I don’t need a chair.”

A Look Back

Cornia, who has served as director of the Romney Institute of Public Management since January 2004, is aware that some may wonder how an economist ends up as dean of a business school.

“The important thing is that I’ve been in management classrooms for twenty-eight years and have published in business journals. I’ve been involved in some interesting policy issues at the university level and as a college and department administrator,” says Cornia, who served as Marriott School associate dean from 1991 to 1998. “I don’t pretend to know everything, but I have some sense about how universities, colleges, and departments operate. Quality work in any discipline is quality work. I value that and have tried to exemplify that.”

While a college student, Cornia was fascinated by the way economics taught him to think and to act. He started at BYU teaching macroeconomics in 1980, which evolved into a passion for taxes. “I now have focused almost exclusively on public finance. I love that discipline; I love talking about behavioral and public finance and getting taxes right to encourage the growth of cities, states, and business activities,” he says.

An internationally recognized scholar on tax policy, Cornia received the National Tax Association’s 2006 Stephen D. Gold Award. From 2002 to 2003 he served as president of the National Tax Association.

“Gary has a productivity few can match,” says Phil Bryson, a Marriott School professor who has collaborated on research with Cornia. “He’s a natural researcher and has a strong understanding of its purpose and benefits. He has a personal touch to his research that makes him unique and very effective.”

With many accolades and leadership positions under his belt, Cornia still has a deep love for the classroom. “One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most about my life is being able to watch my students develop professionally and influence the world,” he says, smiling.

A Look Ahead

You know those moments—when you wake up in the middle of the night, bombarded by thoughts.

“There have been a couple times I’ve been wide awake at four in the morning, wondering, ‘Okay, what do I do next?’” Cornia admits. But despite the unknowns, he is ready to move forward as dean. “As the selection committee was interviewing me, I said, ‘I understand how hard this position is, and I have no illusions about the challenges.’”

“Gary is known and respected all over the university,” says former dean Ned C. Hill. “Whenever a department or program needed to be reviewed, Gary was the person everyone wanted because of his fairness, his high academic standards, and his insightful observations. He will do an outstanding job of leading the Marriott School to new heights.”

Cornia plans to continue enhancing the Marriott School’s reputation to employers across the spectrum. “We have an incredibly gifted set of inputs, in terms of our students, and we have faculty who could teach at any place in the country,” he says. “We have to leverage those advantages to continue turning out good products.”

Keeping the momentum of previous deans is a must for Cornia. “I want to continue the enthusiasm they developed and build on their accomplishments. They’ve been phenomenal. If we can accomplish some measure of what they have done, I’ll feel very successful.”

At Cornia’s side will be Jim Stice and Michael Thompson as associate deans. “From day one, I’ve been impressed with Jim’s honesty, his leadership, and his absolute commitment to BYU. He is a true believer of what we should be and what we can become,” Cornia says. “Michael is a master at organizational processes. I wanted Michael by my side because I think he is exceptional at understanding every stakeholder’s take on a situation.”

With a new dean and a new addition, the Marriott School is heading into a new chapter. And Cornia recognizes the mix of nervousness and excitement as he embarks on his appointment. “Ned and his team have built this breathtaking yet highly functional addition,” Cornia says. “We now have every reason to succeed around here: we have a physical facility that’s as nice as you’d find anywhere in the country, in addition to the greatest students and faculty.”

Cornia at a Glance

Married: Thirty-nine years to Laurel; five children; six grandchildren.

First date with Laurel: She asked him to a high school girls’ choice dance because her best friend liked one of Gary’s friends.

Education: PhD, public finance, Ohio State University–Columbus; MS, economics, Utah State University; BS, economics, Weber State University.

Accomplishments: Cornia serves on several boards and committees such as the Land Reform Training Institute in Taiwan and the Utah Governor’s Tax Review Commission. He has also been an adjunct faculty and visiting senior fellow at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; a visiting faculty and visiting scholar at Georgia State University; and a Reilly Fellow at Louisiana State University.

Favorite tax deduction: “Anyone I can use.”

When not on campus, you can find him: Gardening with his wife, playing with his grandchildren, or planning a trip to Europe.

Favorite types of books: Historical books—especially those about World War II—or good novels.

Things he’s banned from: Cooking, baking, or tinkering with anything mechanical.

Last request: His family is supposed to place a gallon of burnt almond fudge ice cream in his coffin.

Thompson at a Glance

Michael Thompson’s academic career may have started twenty years ago when he came to BYU to teach, but his work ethic was instilled when he was much younger. He grew up in a family that owned businesses—a grocery store, a body shop, and a wrecking yard—and also managed apartments.

“Tearing cars apart in a wrecking yard was a dream come true for a teenager,” says Thompson, who grew up in Escondido and Napa Valley, California. “There was plenty of work to do, and I enjoyed working with my brothers. We would have contests to see who could do things fastest.”

That early taste of entrepreneurship and working in family businesses gave Thompson an added perspective as a business professor.

“My favorite part of being a professor is observing the discovery process with students—both the intellectual and emotional components,” he says. “That’s what gives me energy.”

Family: Wife, Jennifer; five children.

Education: PhD, rhetoric and organizational communication, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; MA, communications, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; BA, classical Greek, Brigham Young University.

Favorite dessert: Strawberry shortcake.

Hobbies: Cycling, walking, reading, and listening to music.

In high school: Sang the songs of Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra in a band that played at country clubs and military bases.

Areas of expertise: Management communication, leadership, and knowledge management.

Accolades: Outstanding Teacher Award, Marriott School (1995); Outstanding Teacher Award, OBHR Track Students (2004).

Random fact: Never saw snow until a BYU freshman.

Stice at a Glance

If it seems like Jim Stice has thrown himself into the BYU experience, it’s because he has. He’s the first tell you, though, that he simply feels like an ordinary person who believes in BYU’s mission.

“My favorite classroom memories have nothing to do with accounting or a balance sheet—they’re about changing students’ lives or them changing mine,” he says. “That’s the beautiful thing about this place—it continues to change me.”

Stice, former MBA program director, stumbled into his profession. He took an accounting class as an undergraduate and found he had a knack for it. Then he ended up teaching an accounting class and realized he was good at that too. “I never set out to be a professor or an associate dean, but things have unfolded the way they were supposed to.”

Born in: Dugway, Utah.

First job: Mowed twenty-five lawns each week with his brothers.

Family: Wife, Kaye; seven children.

Education: PhD, accounting, University of Washington; MS and BS, accounting, Brigham Young University.

Favorite book: Endurance, by Alfred Lansing. “I’ve read it ten times and every time I’m stunned by the outcome.”

Music tastes: A little of everything—classic rock, pop, country, Celtic.

Accolades: MBA Professor of the Year, Marriott School (2000); Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award (1999); Student Award for Excellence in Teaching (1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998).

Interesting fact: Team-teaches a Book of Mormon class with his brother, Kay, who is also a Marriott School accounting professor.

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Article written by Emily Smurthwaite