McCombs School of Business: Email - McCombs School of Business Monthly News

McCombs School of Business

Greetings, Alumnus! You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a McCombs graduate alumnus or friend. Stay plugged in to what is happening at the school by updating your profile and preferences. On Friday, February 17, the annual Endowed Scholarship Recognition Reception was hosted by Dean Gau. In its ninth year, this event brings together donors and students, giving donors and endowment representatives a chance to see their gifts in action. Read more about student scholarships in the student profile below or online. Photo: MPA student Blair Abernathy and Wilma McAngus.

Don't forget to register for the MBA Alumni Business Conference - registration closes March 17.

IN THIS ISSUE
Alumni News & Notes - Recent Speakers at McCombs
New Job Postings - Sarbanes-Oxley Discussion

Corporate America Needs More Female Leaders, Says McCombs Advisory Council Chair
Lynn Utter, chief strategy officer for Coors Brewing Co. and McCombs Advisory Council Chair, opened the Women in Business Leadership Conference Feb. 10 with spirited remarks about her journey through the corporate ranks. The day-long conference, now in its fifth year, invited keynote speakers and panelists to share with the 300-plus participants anecdotes and advice from their career experiences. Get the full story.

Strict Values Best Bet for Sports Business
Just how well do movies like Jerry Maguire and Any Given Sunday capture the complex world of athletic contracts, player drafts and politics in professional sports? Leigh Steinberg, widely recognized as the world's leading sports attorney, provided insight into this world in his talk for the McCombs Plus Program Feb. 8. Photo Credit: Rodolfo Gonzalez, Austin American-Statesman. Get the full story.

Culture Has Changed Since Sarbanes-Oxley, but Problems Remain
After the accounting scandal at Enron came to light in 2001, the federal government was compelled to pass the Sarbanes-Oxley Act—the most drastic piece of legislation in recent years to affect corporate governance, financial disclosure and public accounting—the business world scrambled to comply with the new restrictions. Michael Granof, professor of accounting, discussed just how much corporate culture has been transformed by Sarbanes-Oxley in his Executive MBA case study talk Jan. 27. Get the full story.

McCombs Recalls History of His Success for Alumni
Red McCombs has been interested in business for as long as he can remember. Speaking to a roomful of graduates from the Texas Executive MBA Program (Option II) at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center Jan. 27, the benefactor of the McCombs School of Business recalled, "I was an entrepreneur before I knew what the word meant—and certainly before I could spell it." Get the full story.

Phurnace Software Defeats Stiff Competition in Texas MOOT CORP® Competition
After months (or years, in some cases) of work on their respective business ventures, the final four teams of this year's Texas MOOT CORP® competition presented their business plans to a panel of judges Feb. 1. Phurnace Software took the top prize, winning a year's free office space with the Austin Technology Incubator—a service that guides burgeoning businesses through the early stages of growth—and a spot in the prestigious Global MOOT CORP® Competition.
Get the full story.

Nominate a McCombs MBA Alumni Business Leader and Outstanding Chapter Event
McCombs invites you to submit a nomination for the Rising Star and Outstanding Chapter Event Awards, given annually to exceptional alumni and chapter events at the MBA Alumni Awards Celebration. This year, the celebration will be held at 6:30 p.m. on September 8 at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas. Nominations must be received by May 15, 2006.

Give Now to the MBA Alumni Endowed Excellence Fund
Give back to the school that gave you a great education. The MBA Alumni Endowed Excellence Fund will help provide resources to launch new MBA initiatives that will enhance the educational experience of MBA students.

A change in your life?
Email us, alumnewseditor@mccombs.utexas.edu, your professional and personal news, but please include your degree and graduation date as well as your maiden name or name used while in school if different from your current name.

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. Current job openings include a senior strategy analyst at Alliance Data Systems, finance advisor at Dell, several openings including Sarbanes-Oxley Manager at Avvantica Consulting and Senior Litigation Associate at Hill Schwartz Spilker Keller LLC.

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

Get Your Horns Up! While most of us watched it on TV, several MBAs celebrated in California when the Horns won the National Championship. "It is still like a dream," said Brian Wells, MBA '89, the co-owner of Crew Bar + Grill in Chicago. That’s him on the right with a friend. Another alum in attendance, Roger Ghalla, MBA '93, said, "It was the best game for UT that I've ever attended in person. UT fans showed up big in USC's back yard!"

Alum Publishes First Novel Erik Qualman (MBA '99) just recently published his first novel, Crisis. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to charity including Hurricane Katrina & Wilma Relief Funds, 9/11 Relief Fund, Brian Norkus Memorial Fund and more. Get more of the story.

Ben Love, Houston Banker and Philanthropist, Dies Houston banker and active philanthropist Ben Love, BBA '48, died of cancer Jan. 13 at the age of 81. Love's devotion to education was honored by The University of Texas and Austin and the McCombs School in numerous ways, including recognition as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1975 and induction into the McCombs Hall of Fame in 1985. Read more about Love's life.

MBA Student Dies During Travels in Thailand Second-year MBA student David L. Chen died in a drowning accident while vacationing in Thailand this January. An avid traveler, Chen had planned to spend his final semester as a graduate student abroad at the National University of Singapore. Learn more about Chen's life.

Exclusive New Service Power Tools for Women MBA's Power Tools is a new Forté Foundation service created exclusively for women MBA students and MBA alumnae. Sign-up now to receive FREE access to Forté's new searchable online directory, job finder, and resume database. Click here to get started! The Forté Foundation is a consortium of leading companies and top business schools working to substantially increase the number of women business leaders.

More McCombs News
Professor Konana's Research Deconstructs Outsourcing Options
Man Behind Poker's Popularity Reveals His Strategy
Internet Fraud Complaints Run Rampant in Austin
Fair Trade Market Becoming Harder to Manage
Compliance Regulations Much Like Seat Belt Safety, Says Alum

View more McCombs School of Business News Online...
McCombs Monthly Archives

	Vol. 8, No. 4 February 22, 2006
	Alumni and Friends Links
	Alumni Website Development Update Your Address B-School Alumni Directory McCombs News Texas Exes Online Services
	Treat Yourself! Check out the McCombs merchandise in the online store today. From executive gifts to t-shirts to travel items - we've got something for the current or future business mogul! Upcoming Events First Annual MBA Alumni Business Conference March 31, 2006 Network with fellow alumni, hear about the latest happenings at McCombs and interactively learn valuable information about ethics, law and managerial decision making. CPE credits are available for this conference. Register by March 17, 2006. Fourth Annual MBA Hedge Fund Symposium March 30, 2006 Hosted by the Texas MBA Hedge Fund Organization, the event includes senior personnel from leading hedge funds presenting on the fundamentals of their respective trading strategies.

	Investment Opportunity
	Make a gift to the McCombs School Annual Fund and help us achieve our goal of becoming recognized as the best public business school in the nation. Give now. Related Links
	Hermes Society Matching Gift Program 2003-04 Investors' Report Give Online Jeff Hendricks is already heading towards a career in commercial real estate banking, but he could not have done it without the help of Mr. I. Friedlander. A second-year MBA set to graduate this May and the recipient of the I. Friedlander Building and Loan Fund Scholarship, Hendricks credits the scholarship for reminding him of the importance of education. "As MBAs with some work experience already under our belts, we already have an understanding of the how valuable education is. Whatever achievements we have made thus far, I’m sure education has played a substantial part," said Hendricks. "So, we’re back for more of it. And hopefully, our education here at The University of Texas will contribute to our future success in the business community." And Hendricks is already working toward making an impact in the business community. An active member of both the Graduate Real Estate Society and the Graduate Business Council, he has worked to establish stronger ties between alumni and students. This past year, Hendricks helped organize and coordinate the 1st annual MBA Alumni Awards Celebration as well as served on and coordinated the MBA Alumni Endowed Excellence Fund committee. His scholarship award has provided inspiration for his involvement. "Scholarships are always helpful in terms of providing financial assistance, but I think they are even more valuable in terms of the example they set for us," Hendricks said. "These generous donors are leading by example in their act of giving." For more information on endowed scholarships, please contact Sandy White at 512-475-8179 or sandy.white@mccombs.utexas.edu.