Perspective of an Non-LDS Student

A year and half ago, when I was vigorously searching for my dream MBA school, I had no idea how I can find a perfect match – one that will be my brand for the rest of my life. These 2 years would be the most critical 2 years of my life, and the investment of time and money and all personal sacrifices that I had to commit to better be worth this.

After a grueling period of GMAT preparation, actual exams, application processes and lot of soul searching, I made my way to the Marriott School MBA program. The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The program, though universally recognized, is not among the most popular choices among many international students (I can speak for the Indians only). More so for those who are not members of the LDS church. The reason might be the apprehension of a culture shock in an environment that has not been publicized so well. Or even a more grave reason may be the commitment to a Code of Honor and ethics and a fear of the consequences of not meeting those standards in the course of 2 years. The Honor Code requirements of the program can put an initial block in the mindset of the candidates and more research about the heart and soul of this program will cease to continue. I am glad that I never made that same mistake.

Everyone has to make his/her own choices. I respect everyone’s choice. I made my own choice when I visited the BYU before I got admitted. When I was on campus on a cool February morning, I immediately felt at home. Now I have quit my job, made my big move to the Happy Valley of Utah and am waiting for the strenuous and dreaded Fall semester to begin. But during the orientation, I could realize the fact that there are no other MBA programs where I can be happier to see myself in. The values and ethics do run in the blood of this program and it is not like a “secondary ethics class” put in the block to rationalize the requirement of ethical standards of an MBA program.

And feeling of acceptance in another culture? Well, the following incident just talks about how accepted I was in this setting. During orientation, we were told to bring an artifact to describe our identity or story related to the object. This was a good way to delve into the members of your group. The feeling to your peer’s inner self will make the bonding easy and will pay off during a tough time. I brought a picture of 3 revered Hindu religious leaders who were the inspirations and founders of the institute (Ramakrishna Mission) I studied for 12 years in my school days in India. Almost 8 years back, my mom gave the picture to me when I first left home to do a job outside my home city and since then I am carrying this to remind me of my roots. My story of failures and persistence and the role of this picture in my personal and professional life moved my team members and I felt their recognition and acceptance of this different religious perspective. They saw the picture and appreciated me sharing my story with them.

Diversity is the way of life. In every walk of life, people have choices of pin-pointing the differences and make the life a lot more difficult or they can go look for the similarities. As far as the future of mankind is concerned, we are better off going for the second choice. Today, I am glad to embark on my Mission MBA. “Bon Voyage” to my classmates as well.

—Arindam Majumdar, Class of 2012, Finance

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John Bingham

As you have probably noticed, we decided to take a small vacation. We are back now and completely rejuvenated! You can count on seeing at least 2 posts a week until our next vacation. And to show you we mean business, we decided to kick off our new school year with some professor posts. We have asked a few of our professors why they teach at BYU, what they hope students gain from their classes, and what advice they would give the incoming students. We will start with John Bingham, our Strategic Human Resources Professor. Enjoy!

-The Blog Team

Welcome to BYU!

I look forward to seeing you in MBA 548, Strategic Human Resources. I believe you’ll gain tremendous value from my course. I stress that human capital is one of the most vital, yet overlooked, means of establishing competitive advantage today. Many managers believe, or at least expect, this is the case, but have little tangible evidence to make the business case. They believe or hope that their most expensive asset is making a tangible difference, but have little understanding of the metrics that appeal to the senses and to the bottom line—tangible evidence. My goal is to help you understand the evidence that quantifies the human component of the business performance equation. This evidence will provide you with a greater appreciation for the traditionally “intangible” contributions of human capital and will enlarge your ability to manage more effectively for success.

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I’m a bit eclectic in my professional and academic background. I’m a research professor with a PhD in business management, but worked in a variety of areas before settling down in academia 9 years ago. In my early college years, I was a professional ski patroller, a backcountry guide, and a river expedition outfitter. Later, I co-founded two ventures; one in professional medical services and the other specializing in outfitting continuing education excursions. I was later involved in an Internet start-up and worked in business development in online retailing and media during the dot.com boom. My unique background gives me perspective and context, which I believe adds tremendous insight and value to my pedagogy and the way I approach problems. I believe this uniqueness is also what prompted my colleagues to invite me to BYU and what ultimately influenced my decision to join BYU and help contribute to the goals of this distinctive institution.

I love Brigham Young University, but I’m not a product of this University and I did not always bleed “cougar blue.” My undergraduate and master’s degrees are from the University of Utah. Later, I pursued my PhD studies at Texas A&M University. When my department chair at Texas A&M University heard I would be visiting BYU as a prospective candidate for a faculty position, he scoffed, asking why anyone would want to attend a University where faculty were not free to explore and develop knowledge as they wished. I had a high level of respect for the academic success and notoriety of my chair. Not ever having attended a Church-sponsored institution, I began to wonder and question whether BYU would truly be a good professional fit.

In my preparation to come to BYU for my research presentation and interviews, BYU’s Academic Vice President, Richard Williams, sent me a document called the “Statement on Academic Freedom at BYU.” He requested that I read it and be prepared to discuss it during my visit. I studied the document carefully, hoping to find some enlightenment and reconciliation. One statement stood out and continues to stand out for me. It is the only sentence repeated twice in the document—once in the opening paragraph and a second time in the final paragraph. The statement reads: “To seek knowledge in the light of revealed truth is, for believers, to be free indeed.” This statement struck me to the core and helped me resolve the tension I had felt. I have come to believe this is a model for how and why learning thrives at BYU. The Spirit can touch our lives to enlighten, strengthen, and sanctify us through “light and understanding.” This is why I choose to teach at BYU. I love what I do and I love doing it at BYU. Very few places allow you to integrate spiritual with secular principles. And I find great meaning doing it in the classroom, in my research, in my associations with other colleagues, and in my cherished interactions with students.

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There is much to anticipate in preparation for your MBA experience. My suggestion is to assume the role of a good researcher and collect lots of “data.” Everyone will proffer advice about your first year experience. When people give you advice, integrate their perspective, or data point, into your larger data set. Don’t let one data point skew you one way or the other, but let it operate as a unique observation in your attempt to produce a statistically significant study. Good researchers know that few outcomes can be predicted without sufficient statistical validity and enough statistical power to generate robust results and reliable findings. Ask for advice, lots of it. But go along building better predictions about the outcomes that are most relevant and important to you, coupled with the data you collect. Finally, seek out the reasons why you are at BYU. Actively search and you’ll find at least partial, if not full, spiritual explanation and confirmation for why you are enrolled in BYU’s MBA, and not doing something else. The more you seek to understand why you’re here, the more fulfilling (and even less stressful) your experience will be. See you the first week of classes!

-John Bingham, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Organizational Leadership and Strategy

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