Before the COVID-19 pandemic, if somebody found out you worked in supply chain, they wouldn’t have a clue what you were talking about. But now, supply chain management is an important part of any business that ships products. It’s also one of the minors available in BYU-Idaho’s Finance Department.
The majors in the Finance Department include Business Analytics, Business Management Operations and Business Finance. The minors include Business Analytics, Finance, Financial Planning and Supply Chain Management.
For Presley Aror, the initial draw to the Business Analytics major was to earn money, but now he’s learned that he loves numbers.
“I love telling stories with numbers and that’s what business analytics pretty much is,” Aror said.
The professors who teach the classes have an average of 20 years of experience in industry, according to Brian Page, the department chair.
“Feedback from students is they love the fact that we can use our real-world experience as we teach the class,” Page said.
Page says the professors work hard to stay up with changes in the industry, such as the use of artificial intelligence. Businesses like Micron will give students real data to work with in their classes and sometimes they’ll visit the company, then students will receive internships or jobs based on the work they did for the company.
The classes provide students with experiences that make them more marketable to businesses. As students get internships and jobs, they’re giving valuable feedback to their professors.
“I think one of our goals is for our students to get out there and hit the ground running,” Page said. “A lot of times in schools you learn theories and book learning, but you're not sure what to do when you get out there. And so feedback's been great. I just got a call from a student last week and he said, ‘Tell your students, I'm doing every day what you taught in class.’ And that just makes me feel so good because it's like, yeah, this is real life stuff.”
Page says the professors don’t just teach students how to analyze data or create Excel spreadsheets, they also talk about how to be good disciples of Jesus Christ. They use examples from their own careers where their integrity and character made a difference.
“We try to share those experiences and it’s important to us that you have a good career so you can be a leader at home and in the community and in the Church,” Page said.
Page’s comments echo the mission of BYU-Idaho to build disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, their communities and in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Aror has seen the mission help him in his internships and is excited to use these skills as he graduates and gets a job.
“You’re learning finance the Lord’s way,” Aror said. “It’s not something you’d equate with each other, but at BYUI you learn how to really be a disciple of Jesus Christ and still fulfill your career. I think people think you have to choose one, but you don’t have to.”
You can watch or listen to this episode of the Fulfilling the Mission podcast on YouTube, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.