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 IN THIS ISSUE
McCombs Hall of Fame Welcomes
New Members
Top Schools Compete in Real Estate Challenge
Student Mentorship Opportunity
Don't Miss These Exciting Upcoming Events
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.
Austin MBA Chapter Happy Hour
Join the Austin MBA Chapter for happy hours the third week of the month on rotating days. These happy hours are designed to bring local alumni together more frequently in a relaxed social setting. The December happy hour will take place on December 18 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Cool River, 4001 Parmer Lane.
 Current MBA and BBA Alumnus 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.
Sixth Annual National Real Estate Challenge Brings Top Schools to McCombs
The National Real Estate Challenge held at McCombs and organized by the Real Estate Finance and Investment Center took place Nov. 1-2, with Northwestern taking the top prize. The team from McCombs, made up of second-year MBA students Luis Castellanos, Ted Egner, Benton Love, Andrew Lusk, Amy Sta. Maria and Adam Williams, received a second place “Honorable Mention” in the first round.
Full-time MBA Alumni: Sign Up Today to be a Mentor
It's an opportunity for you to:
-Help current full-time MBA students grow professionally and personally.
-Share your unique understanding and insight into your area of expertise with students who have a real interest in learning more.
-Strengthen your ties to McCombs.
-Enhance the value of your MBA degree through your time and investment in current students.
Serving as an MBA Alumni Mentor is not very time consuming, but the potential to create win/win/win situations for you, for the students and for McCombs is high. Visit our Web site or contact Suzanne Brown for more information.
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.
Graduate Business Council Recognizes MBA Applause Faculty
Congratulations to the MBA Applause awardees for spring 2007. The Graduate Business Council determined the honorees from an MBA student survey and celebrated the faculty this fall. This spring’s awardees include Reuben McDaniel of IROM, Andres Almazan of finance, James Nolen of finance, John Doggett of management, Anitesh Barua of IROM, Christopher Meakin of IROM, Sandy Leeds of finance, Stathis Tompaidis of finance, Greg Hallman of finance, Kate Mackie of marketing, Sirkka Jarvenpaa of IROM, Eric Hirst of accounting, Garry Twite of finance, James Fredrickson of management and David Jemison of management.
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.
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 abilities to analyze problems related to the commercialization of new technologies. To find out about upcoming programs, visit the 2007-2008 program calendar.
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumna Shares Story of Surviving Cancer
 Katie Jozwicki MBA ’07 shares her story of cancer diagnosis and treatment in the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation’s newsletter. Dr. Susan Love is the author of Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, termed “the Bible for women with breast cancer.” The mission of the foundation is to eradicate breast cancer and improve the quality of women’s health through innovative research, education and advocacy. Read Jozwicki’s story here.
MBA Alumnus Shines as Sports Marketing All-Star
The Kansas City Star, November, 16 2007
 Douglas Quinn, MBA ’89, admits to being one of the few football players at Shawnee Mission East in the late 1970s who attended his school’s boys soccer games. “I went and watched the soccer games because my best friend in high school was the keeper on the soccer team,” Quinn says. “But basically, I was the guy who sat behind the goal and heckled the players.” Back then, it was just a way any high school kid would turn out to support a buddy. But, as it’s turned out, it also could have been a harbinger. Today, about 27 years after becoming a soccer fan strictly by association, Quinn is president of Soccer United Marketing, the marketing arm and partner not only of Major League Soccer, but professional soccer associations and endeavors in the United States, Mexico, Europe and beyond. Get the full story.
McCOMBS IN THE NEWS
How to Tell When Yes Really Means No When Doing Business in India
The Wall Street Journal, October 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
View more McCombs School of Business News Online...
McCombs Monthly Archives
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Vol. 10, No. 10 Dec. 13, 2007 |
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Alumnus Not a
Traditional MBA
Ken Foote MBA ’78
After graduating from McCombs in 1978, Ken Foote took an unusual career path for an MBA. But then again, Foote isn’t your typical businessman.
Foote spent his childhood enamored by radio and television. He has carried this passion his entire life, getting his bachelor’s degree in radio-television-film at Southern Methodist University after working as a radio disc jockey through high school and college. Today, the current president of the new Fort Worth Chapter of the MBA Alumni Network works as director of programming at KTVT and KTXA, the CBS owned and operated stations in Dallas/Fort Worth.
“As a young person, my dream was to be either a major radio personality in a big market or the host/announcer on CBS Television’s The Price Is Right,” Foote said. “Once you’re infected by the media business, you are so for life.”
Eventually he realized he wanted to work on the management side of the media, which led him to business school. Foote was drawn to The University of Texas at Austin because of its "stellar reputation" and Dean George Kozmetsky's desire to always improve.
“Dean Kozmetzky was so ahead of his time,” Foote said. “He always said, ‘We can always do better,’ and that goal is still there.”
While his cohorts were pursuing MBAs to enter commercial banking, finance, and oil & gas, Foote intended all along to continue working in the media. Despite that field being an industry that typically doesn’t recruit MBAs, Foote began working with the Gulf Broadcast Group, first in sales and corporate finance and later, as a program director with the company’s CBS affiliate in Phoenix. From there, he worked as director of programming for various stations in Dallas/Fort Worth before assuming his current position in 2004.
With a job that often keeps him at the station until after the 6:00 pm newscasts, it hadn’t been easy for him to maneuver through rush hour traffic to attend Dallas Chapter events. That’s just one of the reasons Foote is excited about heading up a Fort Worth Chapter. He says there are enough Longhorn alumni in the area to benefit from another chapter. The first event will be a winter reception on January 29 at the Fort Worth Club. A faculty speaking event is planned for the spring.
In addition to participating with the Fort Worth Chapter, Foote stays connected with McCombs by attending the annual MBA Alumni Business Conference every March. He refers to those conferences as excellent and inspiring career development events.
And each time he’s back at McCombs, he’s encouraged by the students that call or have called the school home.
“When I attend alumni events, I see some of the youngest, sharpest men and women,” Foote said. “I am so impressed with quality and caliber of the MBAs that are coming out of UT today and the things that Dean Gau has done for the school.”
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Hire McCombs Alumni through the McCombs Job Board
Search for a job or promote employment opportunities to both current students and alumni of the McCombs School of Business.
Both the Alumni Directory and the McCombs Job Board are accessible through your UT EID (University of Texas Electronic Identification). Click here for more information on finding your UT EID, or contact the Registrar's office at 512-475-7656.
If you have any questions, please email us and refer to "Alumni Directory" or "McCombs Job Board" in the subject and content of your message. |
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Investment Opportunities
 With the end of the year just weeks away, now is the time to make a gift to the McCombs School Annual Fund and help us achieve our goal of becoming the best public business school in the nation. Give now.
The McCombs School of Business 2005-06 Investors' Report is now available online. Visit the home page to view the 2005-06 donors and financial information.
Related Links
The MBA Alumni Endowed Excellence Fund provides an excellent opportunity for all alumni to give back to the school. Launching new MBA initiatives that will enhance the educational experience of MBA students, this fund is unique in that a committee of students, alumni, and MBA program office staff will work together to determine optimal usage of the funds.
McCombs Merchandise
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 Bookmark the online store for executive gifts, t-shirts and travel items. Show your school and university pride, whether you're in the stadium or cheering from the couch. | |
Last Updated
Wednesday, July 23, 2008