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Mark Your Calendar!
Alumni Summer Receptions
McCombs Alumni Relations invites all McCombs graduates to join them at alumni receptions this summer, planned in cities across the country and in international locales. Meet up, catch up, network with old friends and make new ones. For more information and to RSVP, click here.
1st Annual Houston McCombs BBA Alumni BBQ
Join the Houston MBBA Alumni Chapter as we kick off the summer with a Rudy’s BBQ in Memorial Park! All McCombs BBA and MPA Alumni, interns and friends are welcome.
Location: Memorial Park (Houston, TX)
Date: Sunday, June 22, 2008
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Cost: $10 per person
RSVP deadline: Thursday, June 19th
Click Here to RSVP
San Antonio McCombs BBA and MPA Alumni Happy Hour
The McCombs BBA Alumni Network San Antonio Chapter invites all San Antonio-area McCombs BBA, BHP, and MPA alumni to attend a happy hour to connect with other alumni and meet the new San Antonio McCombs BBA Alumni Chapter Leadership.
Location: Cielito Lindo (19141 Stone Oak Parkway Suite 108, San Antonio, TX 78258)
Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Click Here to RSVP
Top Stories
Graduates Take Center Stage, Reflect on McCombs
 Commencement is an exciting moment for all McCombs graduates as they head out into the world with diplomas in hand. It is also a time to reflect on the journey and ponder what the future might hold. We asked six students from the BBA, MPA and MBA programs to share their stories. Read their profiles, and view slideshows from the ceremonies for BBA, MBA, MPA and executive and evening MBA programs.
Chinese Business Association
Asks for Donations for Quake Victims
 Connie Xiaolan Qu, MBA '09, of the China Business Association student organization at McCombs, asks the UT Austin community to help China recover from the devastating earthquake. She writes, "You must have heard about the big earthquake that occurred in Sichuan, China. The earthquake, which hit southwest China May 12, was an 8 on the Richter scale. By May 20 over 40,000 people were confirmed dead; over 24,000 people were injured and 32,361 people were still missing. Thousands and thousands of people lost their homes. The good things are: the government started the rescue very quickly and people around the world are giving great help to the people who suffered in the earthquake. If you feel that you want to give your help to the people who are suffering, you can donate through the American Red Cross Web site."
Ten Faculty Earn Teaching and Research Awards
 The 2007-08 McCombs teaching and research awards were handed out at a lunchtime ceremony May 6. This year’s honorees for teaching are: Michael Granof, Joe D. Beasley Award for MBA Teaching Excellence; Prabhudev Konana and Regina Hughes, Hank & Mary Harkins Foundation Award for Effective Teaching in Undergraduate Classes; Caroline Bartel (left), Trammell/CBA Foundation Teaching Award for Assistant Professors; Michael Luchs and Benjamin Herndon, Fred Moore Assistant Instructor Award for Teaching Excellence; John Daly, Fawn & Vijay Mahajan Teaching Excellence Award for Executive Education; and Michael Brandl, CBA Foundation Advisory Council Award for Teaching Innovation. The awards for research were given to Raj Raghunathan, Award for Research Excellence; and Aydogan Alti, CBA Foundation Research Excellence Award for Assistant Professors. Congratulations!
Future of Music Business Topic at McCombs Conference
 Sirkka Jarvenpaa, IROM professor, organized a conference dedicated to the future of music dissemination titled “Music Business and Web 2.0,” which was held at McCombs April 25. The conference, sponsored by the Center for Business, Technology and Law, brought academic researchers and music experts together for a packed presentation and lively discussion of the Web’s rapidly evolving impact on the music world. Topics included the relationship between blog buzz and CD sales and the exploration of evolving models of co-production and fan remixing. However, a panel of industry insiders emphasized that success in the music business ultimately still comes down to ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising, leaving the younger crowd to parse what that means in cyber-space.
MBBA Alumni Network News
Summer Receptions
The first week of June, McCombs Alumni Receptions were held in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Alumni from McCombs BBA, BHP, MPA and MBA programs attended, from graduating classes ranging from 1958 to 2007. McCombs faculty and staff attended receptions as well and encouraged alumni to get involved in their local McCombs Alumni chapters. For more information about the McCombs Alumni Summer Receptions, click here. To get involved in the McCombs Alumni Network, email bbaalumni@mccombs.utexas.edu.
Congratulations to the newly appointed McCombs BBA Alumni Network Chapter Leadership in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Austin Chapter — McCombs BBA Alumni Network
| President |
Nic Patrizi |
| Texas Exes Liaison |
Gene Brown |
| Corporate Relations |
Bill Hamilton
Kenny Berman |
| Recent Alumni Outreach |
Lisa Feuer
Luisa Mauro
Sabrina Maqsood |
| Experienced Alumni Outreach |
David Simmers |
| Community Service |
Julie Almaguer
Lara Foronda |
| Events and Fundraising |
Tamara Testerman
David Levy
Sara Taylor
Linda Yeh |
| Communications and Marketing |
Colleen Crawford |
Dallas Chapter — McCombs BBA Alumni Network
| Co-President(s) |
Adam Shrimplin
Amy Wang |
| Texas Exes Liaison |
Jeff Duchin |
| Corporate Relations |
Steve Lorio
David Ireland
Anne Robillard
Randy Buchanan |
| Recent Alumni Outreach |
John Greene
Alex Chang
Nate McGuire |
| Experienced Alumni Outreach |
Jeff Goodman |
| Events and Fundraising |
Allyson Haas
Patrick Parker |
| Mentorship |
Brenda Pirozzolo |
| Communications and Marketing |
Carolyn Wetters |
| Local Professional Organization Liaison |
Naomi Dsouza |
Houston Chapter - McCombs BBA Alumni Network
| Co-President(s) |
Akif Ahmad
Adam Bergen |
| Texas Exes Liaison |
Amy Kroesche
Kristin Klenzendorf
Julie Long |
| Corporate Relations |
Erin Hoover
Sara Takacs
Casey Hunnicut
Joe Matula
Evelyn Velasquez |
| Recent Alumni Outreach |
Melissa Tucker
Ramez Farag
Kevin West
Andrew Wright |
| Experienced Alumni Outreach |
Robert Rinehart |
| Community Service |
Mark Madrid
Ramsey Jankowski
Kathleen Walton |
| Events and Fundraising |
Blaire Pittman
Matt Brown
Andrea Browne
Lindsey Fifer
Elisa Annelin |
| Mentorship |
Cathy Flores
Brook Syers
John Torigian |
| Communications and Marketing |
Melody Blumreich |
San Antonio Chapter — McCombs BBA Alumni Network
| President |
Michael Kidd |
| Texas Exes Liaison |
Elizabeth Guerrero Christ |
| Corporate Relations |
Neal Meadows |
| Recent Alumni Outreach |
Dalia Chowdhury |
| Experienced Alumni Outreach |
Sean Willingham |
| Events and Fundraising |
Mario Davila |
McCombs BBA Alumni Network Advisory Board
In addition to the many other initiatives executed within the McCombs BBA Alumni Network, the MBBA Alumni Network Advisory Board has been finalized. Look to the July edition of the McCombs Monthly for the complete list of board members.
McCombs in the News
Media: Mahajan on India's Economy
The Times of India, May 19, 2008
 Marketing Professor Vijay Mahajan was recently interviewed by the Times of India regarding the country's current economic indicators. Excerpt: "Inflation comes because demand is more than supply," Mahajan said. "There is a shortage of food globally and, hence, prices are going up. Food prices are rising everywhere. It's a global phenomenon and India cannot be immune to it. The only way to control these rising prices is to localize the phenomena or put curbs on exports of those products. That will help balance the demand and supply." Read the story.
Media: Bringing Your Baby to Work
Nightline, May 5, 2008
 Kristie Loescher, management lecturer, was featured in a Nightline segment about an Austin advertising agency, T3, which allows employees to bring their babies to work for the first year. Loescher said the policy isn't just good for employees; it's also good for the bottom line. "You get the benefits of retention, hopefully the benefit of less absenteeism, the person can come to work every day because they're bringing the baby and also there's an interesting fact that job satisfaction can increase because you're feeling a real loyalty to an employer who's letting you do this.” Watch the story.
Media: Cleveland’s Business Fair Ends After 10 Years
Austin American-Statesman, May 1, 2008
For the past 10 years, McCombs IROM Lecturer Lynda Cleveland’s “City of Cleveland” business fair has anchored the fall and spring semesters, drawing together hundreds of students, faculty and businesspeople. But Wednesday marked the fair’s finale. The fair is ending because the university has decided to restructure the curriculum and replace the class, MIS 311, with one more strictly focused on data analysis. Read the story.
Media: McCombs Marketing Students Help Austin Schools
Austin American-Statesman, April 29, 2008
 For the Austin school district’s plan to develop slogans and logos to get more high school students engaged in learning, officials have reached out to a slightly older and wiser demographic: college students. McCombs students this semester have been developing a marketing plan for the “small learning communities” concept currently being used in the redesign of several Austin high schools. “These students really rose to this challenge with great enthusiasm,” said Ben Bentzin, the McCombs marketing lecturer who guided the college students. "I think one of the things my students learned is that the business skills they’ve been studying are directly applicable to the nonprofit world.” Read more.
Media: Murray Discusses Future of Undergraduate Program
BusinessWeek.com, April 28, 2008
 On a recent visit to New York City, Paula Murray, associate dean for undergraduate programs, sat down with BusinessWeek’s Alison Damast to discuss Murray’s vision for the McCombs undergraduate business program. Murray, a business law professor, became the dean in 2007. “We have an excellent undergraduate program,” Murray said. “It is one of the best in the country. We’d like to move it up to the absolute top.” Watch the video.
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Last Updated
Wednesday, July 23, 2008