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 IN THIS ISSUE
McCombs Hall of Fame Welcomes New Members
Griffin Wins Academic Heisman
Company Founders Share Insights
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McCombs Hall of Fame Welcomes Four New Members
The McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame inducted four prominent leaders Oct. 26 at a ceremony at the Driskill Hotel. The 2007 honorees are: Frederick B. Hegi Jr. (PhD ’70), founding partner of Wingate Partners, a Dallas-based private equity investment firm; William R. Johnson (MBA ’74), chairman, president and CEO of H. J. Heinz Company; Red McCombs, chairman and founder of Red McCombs Automotive Group and co-founder of Clear Channel Communications; and W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr., an independent oil and gas producer involved in exploration, development and production. Pictured from left to right: Dean Gau, Frederick B. Hegi, W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr., Red McCombs and William R. Johnson. Get the full story.
BBA Alumnus and Current MBA Wins “Academic Heisman”
 Dallas Griffin, McCombs MBA student and Longhorn center, was presented the 2007 Draddy Trophy at the annual National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame banquet on Dec. 4 in New York City. Griffin (pictured with Longhorn coach Mack Brown) is the first Longhorn to win the award, which recognizes an individual as the best in the country for combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. “I’ve studied up on some of the past winners and not only did they excel in the classroom, but they were amazing players. It is just a great combination of on-field and off-field success and community service. To be recognized as this year’s Draddy Trophy winner is a great honor, and I’m so happy to be representing Texas when it comes to such a prestigious award.” Griffin graduated with a 3.88 GPA in business honors and finance in 2007. He has been a four-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection, and while at Texas has posted a perfect 4.0 six times. Get the full story. Read the Austin American-Statesman story.
DeJoria Promotes Philanthropy, Employee
Satisfaction in Business
 Hair product magnate John Paul DeJoria examined the importance of practicing good business ethics, maintaining client and employee satisfaction and giving back to the community during a VIP Distinguished Speaker Series talk Oct. 15. DeJoria, co-founder and CEO of John Paul Mitchell Systems and co-founder of Patron Tequila, said he learned the value of hard work and good ethics from a young age. During high school, he worked at a dry cleaning business and still remembers when his frugal boss gave him a 25-cent raise because he had cleaned upstairs without being asked. “It’s not what you do, but what you do when nobody else is watching,” DeJoria said. “That’s character.” Get the full story.
Infosys Founder Murthy Visits McCombs,
Shares Life Lessons
 Narayana Murthy, chairman of the board and chief mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited, spoke to a small group of McCombs faculty Nov. 15. Murthy started Infosys in 1981 with six others and served as the CEO for 21 years. Infosys was founded with $250 and the goal to be respected by all of the company’s stakeholders, from customers to shareholders to government and educational leaders. “I’m glad we took that position in 1981,” Murthy said. “If you want to be in business for a long time, you have to live in harmony with society.” View slideshow.
BHP Student Receives Prestigious Award
 Dustin Deas, business honors and finance senior, received the Texas Parents’ Association Outstanding Student Award at a ceremony held Oct. 26. The award was established in 1951 to recognize student leadership on campus and is given to only two students each year (one male, one female). Deas has been involved in the Longhorn Band, Tejas Club, Texas Cowboys and the President’s Council. Congratulations to Dustin!
Women in Business Leadership Conference:
Unlock Your Opportunity
February 8, 2008, Hyatt Regency Austin
Each year, businesswomen from around the nation convene in Austin for the Women in Business Leadership Conference. This engaging leadership conference allows women to network with other business professionals in their fields and provides them opportunities to enhance their personal skill sets. The speaker panels this year will feature successful women who have volunteered to help others unlock their opportunities by discussing their experiences on a variety of topics such as entrepreneurship, giving back to the community and advocacy within an organization. For more information, visit our Web site.
Texas Executive Education Offers
Strategic Decision Making Program
In the Strategic Decision Making program, offered January 24-25, participants will gain a better understanding of decision and risk analysis—the systematic evaluation of decision problems involving uncertainty. Decision and risk analysis provide a framework for analyzing decision problems by breaking them down into more manageable parts and considering the possible alternatives, the available information, and the relevant preferences of the decision makers. Participants will understand the basic tools available for structuring problems involving risk and uncertainty, and develop abliities to analyze problems related to the commercialization of new technologies. To find out more about upcoming programs, visit the 2007-2008 program calendar.
McCOMBS IN THE NEWS
How to Tell When Yes Really Means No When Doing Business in India
The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 31, 2007
 “No” may mean no, but Americans doing business in some countries find that “yes” can also mean no. Saying “no” is a nonstarter in lots of cultures. In parts of the Mideast it is considered inhospitable to refuse someone outright. The sensitivity stretches eastward, even to China. It’s a sharp contrast to blunt-spoken American business culture. Vijay Mahajan, McCombs marketing professor, thinks the phenomenon in India may have more to do with the job market than with the country. Mahajan sees India as a place where opportunities to succeed are more limited—and where saying “no” can be viewed as a deal-breaker. Get the full story.
Related story: Plus Program Provides Tips for Success in India
Granof Discusses Giuliani Expense Report
New York Newsday, Nov. 30, 2007
Rudy Giuliani moved quickly yesterday to limit damage from a Web report about mayoral security expenses during his extramarital affair with Judith Nathan, calling it a “debate-day dirty trick.” But the explanations he offered still failed to explain why expenses were scattered among obscure mayoral agencies, such as the Loft Board. “On the face of it, I can’t see any reason why the mayor’s travel expenses should be allocated to the Loft Board, unless he is traveling to examine lofts in other cities,” said Michael Granof, McCombs accounting professor. “Maybe they thought if they put it in all these obscure departments, nobody would notice it. They obviously didn’t want transparency.” Get the full story.
View more McCombs School of Business News Online...
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Vol. 8, No. 10 December 6, 2007 |
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Persistence Pays Off for Alumnus
Erin Koechel & Jeff Duchin
BBAs ’98
As a college sophomore, Jeff Duchin probably didn’t figure his part-time job, one he held before earning his BBA in finance, would end up having such an impact on his life.
But it was while working in the business school’s office of development, calling alumni and soliciting gifts for the annual fund, where Duchin was presented with his first paid internship opportunity, met his future wife and gained an understanding of the importance of giving back.
Working as a student caller, Duchin remembers one alum who was particularly hard to track down. The alum’s contact information was out of date and pointed him to Miami. After some digging, Duchin found the alum had actually moved to Austin. When Duchin was able to get in touch with his elusive prospect, the alum was so impressed with his persistence that he offered Duchin the opportunity to interview for an internship with investment firm Morgan Keegan. Duchin interned there after his sophomore and into his junior year, gaining experience in sales, making initial calls to prospects on behalf of the broker for whom he worked.
It was also around this time that Duchin met Erin Koechel, a finance and Business Honors major one year younger than him. The two hit it off and continued dating after they graduated in 1998. In 2004, they were married. Today, they live in Dallas with their black lab, Murphy, and both use their McCombs degrees in the field of finance.
Duchin brokers bonds for institutions as a vice president with Southwest Securities. He used the cold calling experience he gained in his internship and part-time job to approach Southwest Securities while he was still a student. Initially, his future boss told him they didn’t normally hire graduates fresh out of school. But Duchin’s persistence once again paid off, and he joined the company soon after he graduated. Erin works in portfolio management for Hudson Advisors, the asset management company for global private equity firm, Lonestar Funds.
Thankful for their experiences at McCombs and the University, both Koechel and Duchin understand the importance of giving back. They are recognized as Dean’s Associates donors to the school.
Duchin says, “As alumni, we feel it is our responsibility to share our prosperity with the business school in order to provide current and future students the same level of benefits and opportunities we were able to enjoy.”
Duchin also volunteers his time serving on the advisory board for the Texas Exes, and for the alumni organization's Dallas chapter, he serves on comittees and as past president. In these roles, he has exercised fundraising skills, chairing the chapter’s Texas Exes Scholarship dinner and securing sponsorships for the golf tournament that coincides with the university’s annual football game against the University of Oklahoma.
It seems his days spent calling alumni as an undergrad stuck with him, as Duchin has not ruled out development as a possible future career option.
“It's a challenge, and fundraising work is enjoyable,” Duchin says.
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Last Updated
Wednesday, July 23, 2008