The MBA director at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Daniel Snow wishes he had a dollar for every time he’s received compliments about his BYU Marriott graduates in the workforce. Since becoming the MBA director in June 2020, Snow has dedicated himself to not only upholding the school’s values and reputation but also fulfilling his personal goal to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Though he initially thought he would pursue political science or law during his undergrad, Snow was drawn to business because, he says, “I recognized that people in business can have a positive impact on the people around them as well as the economy, culture, and the world.”
Over his career, Snow has interacted with hundreds of students every year who go on to make a difference in the world. “I experience making a positive impact in an interesting and unexpected way,” says Snow. “I get to participate through the lives and successes of my students who come to BYU Marriott and then go on to do big things.”
Snow keeps in touch with many of his students, and he continues to hear of their successes and achievements long after they have graduated. “If I had a dollar for every time someone reached out to me saying that they are glad to have one of my graduates at their company, I could retire early,” he says. “People rave about our graduates. I get that all the time, and it’s the most gratifying part of my job.” BYU Marriott and the MBA program are able to produce exceptional alumni because of BYU’s first-rate education, he adds.
Snow’s high appraisal of BYU Marriott MBA students comes with experience. Before coming to teach at BYU, Snow was a professor at Harvard Business School. He has also taught at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth University's Tuck School of Business, and universities abroad, including at Tsinghua University in Beijing and at Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden. Just before returning to BYU to become the MBA director, he was also a professor at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
After experiencing firsthand various aspects of world-class education, Snow says that BYU Marriott stands side-by-side with these prestigious schools. “I’m in a position right now where I can try to help faculty and students in our program recognize our potential,” he says. “Sometimes we don’t give ourselves credit for being world-class. Our students, our faculty, and our staff rank favorably with the best programs in the country. One of the greatest parts of the job is being able to help people recognize that reality.”
What are Snow’s goals for the MBA program? “My continuous goal is for us to play as a top-ten program,” he says. “My aspiration is for the MBA program at BYU Marriott to do things that will lead to substantive improvement going forward, and I’m committed to that.”
To Snow, making a positive impact in the lives of others means being committed to his students and the program. He says, “I would like to be remembered as someone who loves the students individually and sees the potential in the students and the program. As a director, I see their potential to make a positive impact in the world.”
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Writer: Emily Atwood