Skip to main content
Intellect

Marriott School announces 2008 Merrill J. Bateman Award winners

Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management announced the winners of the 2008 Merrill J. Bateman Awards, the only school-wide awards selected entirely by students.

Christy Hellewell, from Bountiful, Utah, and Michael Flett, from Teresopolis, Brazil, received Merrill J. Bateman Outstanding Student Awards, and J. Michael Pinegar, professor of finance, received the Merrill J. Bateman Student Choice Award.

The Merrill J. Bateman Outstanding Student Award is given annually to one undergraduate and one graduate student in recognition of their support to the Marriott School, service to the community, participation in networking and professional development.

At the awards presentation, Kyle Poll, president of the Marriott School Student Council, said, “As so many nominations for these prestigious awards rolled in, it was amazing to see not only the caliber of students at this school but also the respect their classmates hold for them.”

Undergraduate winner Christy Hellewell, a senior majoring in business marketing, serves as vice president of the Marriott School Undergraduate Student Association, where she helps organize socials, service projects and other activities. She was one of two students who represented the school at the Undergraduate Leadership Conference at Emory University and was also selected to work as a student liaison to alumni and donors on the President’s Leadership Council.

Graduate winner Michael Flett, a second-year MBA student with an emphasis in finance, sold nearly everything he owned to come to BYU with his wife and two children. He served on the Marriott School Diversity Board and as president of the International Graduate Student Association, where he worked to improve the experiences of international students and their spouses. He also served as a mentor to new finance students and as a judge for the Portuguese Business Case Competition at BYU.

The Merrill J. Bateman Student Choice Award is given to a faculty member, staff member or administrator who mentors students, participates in student activities and acts as an exemplary personal and professional example.

J. Michael Pinegar, the Joel C. Peterson Professor of Finance, joined the Marriott School faculty in 1988 and has received numerous awards for his teaching and research. His reputation for putting students first stems from his commitment to learn every student’s name and his willingness to devote extra time and attention to help students outside of class.

Elder Merrill J. Bateman, president of BYU from 1996 to 2003, delivered the keynote address at the awards ceremony. Elder Bateman served as dean of the BYU College of Business from 1975 to 1979, before it was named the Marriott School. He is a General Authority emeritus in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and now serves as president of the Provo Utah Temple.

The Marriott School has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems 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.

For this and other Marriott School press releases, visit the online newsroom at marriottschoool.byu.edu/news.

Writer: Scott Hathaway

Bateman.jpg
Photo by Jaren S. Wilkey/BYU Photo

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Air traffic control for drones: BYU engineers introduce low-cost UAV detection technology

February 10, 2025
With the exponential rise in drone activity, safely managing low-flying airspace has become a major issue. Using a network of small, low-cost radars, engineering professor Cammy Peterson and her colleagues have built an air traffic control system for drones that can effectively and accurately track anything in an identified low-altitude airspace.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Risk it or kick it? BYU research analyzes NFL coaches’ risk tolerance on fourth down

February 06, 2025
BYU study reveals how NFL coaches, including Super Bowl contenders Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni, weigh risk on fourth down.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: “The Pursuit of happiness”

January 28, 2025
Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, spoke to BYU students and employees at the Marriott Center in this week’s forum address. He emphasized the importance of self-improvement through the pursuit of virtue.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=