Students at Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management selected two of their classmates and a professor to receive the 2003 Merrill J. Bateman Awards. These honors, now in their second year, are the only awards chosen solely by business school students.
Student leaders joined President Bateman and Dean Ned Hill to recognize Aaron Ashby and Nick Newton with Merrill J. Bateman Outstanding Student Awards and Professor Steven Thorley with the Merrill J. Bateman Student Choice Award. The presentation was made at the April BYU Management Society graduation banquet.
Aaron Ashby, a 2003 MBA graduate from Salt Lake City, received the outstanding graduate student award. Ashby was the Marriott Alumni Shop's operations and supply chain manager, the Supply Chain Management Student Association's vice president, a Career Services liaison and a Marriott School scholarship recipient. He also organized a mentor program for 90 students at Timpanogos Elementary.
"I took advantage of opportunities that came along and tried to contribute in my own way," Ashby explained. "I would encourage people to give back in any way they can—that makes all the difference."
Nick Newton, a 2003 information systems graduate from Portland, Oregon, received the outstanding undergraduate student award. Because Newton was one of the few information systems students in Beta Alpha Psi, he had many opportunities to be involved with the club, including managing its web site. He served as vice president of technology for the club and set up the computer network, programs and printers for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance lab, a free service that helped more than 700 people e-file their tax returns.
Steven Thorley, professor of finance and business management, received the student choice award. He received his PhD in financial economics from the University of Washington in 1991 and has taught finance at the Marriott School for 11 years. Thorley is a chartered financial analyst and popular investments teacher. He is widely published in both academic and professional journals and has presented at academic and professional seminars around the world. Thorley is also the faculty adviser for the Silver Fund, a course where MBA students manage nearly $1 million in real assets.
President Bateman, BYU’s 11th president, former Marriott School dean and Management Society founder, commented at the awards banquet, "I think it's the first thing named after me except for my home. But it means I have to live up to what's being said; I need to do my part, and I take that responsibility seriously."
The Merrill J. Bateman Outstanding Student Award is given annually to an undergraduate and graduate student based on community service, student leadership and extracurricular involvement. The Merrill J. Bateman Student Choice Award is given annually to a faculty, staff or administrator who has demonstrated outstanding efforts to assist and enhance students' experiences at the Marriott School. The award recognizes mentoring, involvement in student activities and exemplary leadership.
The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems, organizational behavior and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.
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Writer: Emily Smurthwaite