Carolyn Miles Named Director of Corporate Relationship Management for McCombs
She speaks the corporate language, having worked with energy companies and clients, such as the New York Stock Exchange and Goldman Sachs. Add that to her knowledge of McCombs from her two-year service as senior associate director for MBA Career Services, and Carolyn Miles is a natural fit as the Office of Resource Development’s new director of corporate relationship management. Miles received her master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in political science from Indiana University. Prior to coming to McCombs, she managed public policy issues for high-level clients at Public Strategies, Inc., advised companies on strategic communications surrounding issues of investor relations and mergers and acquisitions for The Abernathy Macgregor Group, and worked as an energy consultant with Cambridge Energy Research Associates.
Get the full story.

Nine Faculty Members Awarded 2006-2007 McCombs Research Excellence Grants
The McCombs Research Excellence Grant program recognizes and promotes research excellence in the McCombs School by supporting influential and high-quality faculty research projects. The grants are awarded based on competitive project proposals and can be used to cover substantive research expenses (such as data-gathering costs, graduate assistantships and database purchases). Criteria for awarding the research grants include the novelty and likely academic impact of the proposed research, potential to significantly enhance the research reputation of the faculty and the school and prospects for facilitating collaboration among faculty members.
Get the list of awardees and their research projects.

Koehler Discusses Lack of "Science" in Forensic Science at Faculty Research Presentation
Don’t believe everything you see on CSI. That was the message delivered by Jay Koehler in his presentation for the Faculty Research Speaker Series March 27. Actually, Koehler is more concerned with the work of real-life forensic scientists than with the fictional ones found on the hit CBS television franchise. “Forensic science isn’t quite as good as most of us have been led to believe,” said Koehler, a professor in the Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management.
Video: Watch Prof. Koehler's Faculty Research Series presentation on forensic science. Get the full story.

Spring Exec Ed Course Responding to Market Dynamics
Texas Executive Education programs challenge your thinking and add value to your professional life. Coming up this spring: Responding to Market Dynamics, May 10-11. This program offers you a foundation for designing market-based strategy and provides a set of tools useful in developing a path toward profitability that is synchronous with changes in the market.  For complete course description and registration information please visit us online or call us at 800-409-3932.

McCOMBS IN THE NEWS

U.S. News Releases Annual Graduate School Rankings
U.S. News & World Report, March 30, 2007
U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings of graduate programs March 30. The full-time MBA program at McCombs was ranked No. 18 for the third year in a row. The Department of Accounting was ranked No. 1 in the specialty section after being listed at No. 2 last year. Other programs and departments at McCombs were ranked as follows: executive MBA, No. 14; MBA for working professionals, No. 5; entrepreneurship, tied at No. 8; finance, tied at No. 14; information systems, No. 3;international, tied at No. 14; management, No. 19; marketing, tied at No. 10; and productions/ops, tied at No. 15.  Get the full story.

Best Business Recruits Revel in Perks
USA Today, March 27, 2007
Times are good for top business graduates. Employers are raising their recruiting efforts to include incentives such as education assistance, time-off flexibility, casual dress—even pet insurance. McCombs PPA student Jeremy Gottlieb won’t graduate until May, but he has already acquired a job and a sizeable signing bonus with Ernst & Young in Houston. Gottlieb has been wooed by various corporate suitors since his sophomore year at The University of Texas at Austin but chose Ernst & Young because he wanted a larger company with more training opportunities. “It’s a candidate-driven market, and there are so many jobs available,” Gottlieb said. “It's exciting to have so many opportunities to work at so many companies.”
Get the full story.

New Century files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
CNN Money, April 3, 2007
New Century Financial Corp. said Monday it will immediately cut 3,200 jobs, or 54 percent of its work force, as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The Irvine, Calif.-based company also said it agreed to sell its servicing assets and platform to Carrington Capital Management LLC for $139 million, subject to bankruptcy approval. Greg Hallman, a lecturer on real estate finance at McCombs, said the New Century bankruptcy put an exclamation point on the era of investing in securitized subprime debt. “It’s probably over for the time being,” said Hallman. “That market worked for as long as investment banks provided funding. The banks have cut the money off.” Get the full story.

Texas Lawmakers Seek to Avoid New Accounting Rule
The New York Times, March 12, 2007
McCombs Accounting Professor Michael Granof has been a critic of proposed Texas legislation that would allow government officials to sidestep a new national accounting rule that takes effect this year. The rule calls for state and local governments across the country to report obligations for future costs for medical and related benefits that their employees will receive when they retire. Texas, however, is looking to opt out of the process. “Our legislature does crazy things,” said Granof in The New York Times. “We have a law for blind hunters. This is probably the dumbest bill since that.” In an op-ed published in the Austin American-Statesman (March 13, 2007), Granof wrote, “The pending legislation is especially pernicious because it will undermine the authority of the independent accounting board to objectively establish standards. Each state will then be free to set its own rules. Just imagine how reliable financial statements will be when it is the politicians who determine our accounting principles.” Read the New York Times story. (requires a subscription)