Of all the awards he earned and titles he held at the BYU Marriott School of Business—from PhD prep track coordinator to director of the School of Accountancy (SOA)—Doug Prawitt says mentoring students and helping them improve their lives is his proudest accomplishment.
After earning his MAcc at BYU Marriott in 1988, Prawitt entered the PhD program at the University of Arizona. “Going from a master’s program to a PhD felt like jumping as high as I could and hanging on by my fingernails, trying not to let go,” Prawitt remembers. “That was a real leap.”
The PhD program was a struggle at first, but he explains that once he adjusted to the high-pace environment, he flourished. Prawitt was selected as the University of Arizona’s official delegate at the annual American Accounting Association doctoral consortium in his final year. Then, when he finished his doctorate, he returned to BYU Marriott to teach.
With the memories of his own challenges adjusting to the PhD program fresh in his mind, Prawitt wanted to help make that leap easier for students. So, in addition to teaching classes, he mentored aspiring PhD students: offering advice, discussing research papers, and recommending electives that could prepare them for a doctorate program.
When one of the first students he mentored was accepted to some of the top PhD programs in the country, Prawitt realized the value of purposeful preparation. “That was an eye opener. It helped me realize that there’s a high demand for people who prepare for a PhD in advance by taking coursework and developing an understanding of what research is.”
After seeing the difference that his efforts made for that first student, Prawitt began mentoring more students. In 2000, he formalized the SOA PhD prep track, through which students take classes to prepare them for doctorate-level courses, gain experience with academic research and teaching, and receive advice from their professors and mentors.
His service extended beyond the department as he wrote research papers and books, consulted with accounting firms, and designed curriculum. Prawitt has worked as Lead Director of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and as a member of the auditing board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants at various points in his more than three decades in the SOA. “I’ve had a lot of variety in my career. There have been so many fun and challenging things that I’ve been able to engage in,” Prawitt says.
Prawitt says that regardless of the capacity he’s working in, his philosophy in life is to remain focused on serving others. “When I approach everything I do from a ministering mentality, I do a better job,” he explains. “The outcome is better, and it's so much more fulfilling.”
He says he focused on serving others when he was appointed as director of the SOA from 2019 to 2025. “I'm so grateful for that experience and all the opportunities it brought to serve others; I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he says, “But I’m also looking forward to the things that come with the next phase of life.”
For now, Prawitt has returned to teaching and fulfilling his other responsibilities at BYU Marriott—with plans to begin his next phase of life when he retires in June. He and his wife plan to spend time with their grandchildren and serve as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As he prepares for retirement, Prawitt fondly remembers the people he served. “My job is to help people fulfill their potential and achieve their goals,” he says. “In the end, it’s not the recognition and awards that matter; the things that really matter are the opportunities I have had to interact with people and try to help them improve their lives. That’s what I care about.”