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 Greetings, Alumnus! A very busy spring has sprung at McCombs--from Global Connections trips (see Alumni News & Notes below) to the upcoming MBA Alumni Business Conference. But the strength of McCombs--education--is never far from our and our alumni and friends' minds. "Education is very important. HSBC is a strong advocate for education and we show our support by providing scholarships to students," said Karen Horton, Territory Recruiter for The HSBC Group (5th from the left in this photo of HSBC representatives and scholarship recipients at a recent check presentation). Find out more about our corporate partners. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a McCombs MBA alumnus, so stay plugged in to what is happening at the school by updating your profile and preferences.
 IN THIS ISSUE
New Faculty/Staff Appointments
MBA Applause Honorees - Recent Speakers at McCombs
 GE CEO Discusses Future Trends, Graduates in the Global Market
Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, expects three trends to be of major importance in the next 10 to 15 years: globalization, volatility and the intersection of government and business. Get the full story.
Fall MBA Applause Honors 13 Outstanding Faculty Members
At the MBA Applause event held in February, the Graduate Business Council celebrated favorite faculty members in the McCombs School. In a spring 2005 survey, MBA students ranked professors on a five-point scale. Those scoring 4.5 and above were honored. See the list of this year's awardees.
 MBAs Devise Sound Conclusions for Music Industry
Live music and world-famous bands weren't the only things that brought MBA students from some of the nation's top business schools to Austin last week. In concert with the 20th Annual South by Southwest Music Festival, the McCombs MBA Plus Program and the MBA Sports, Entertainment and Media Association (SEMA) hosted the first-ever MBA Music Industry Challenge. Get the full story.
Richard West Appointed Director of Annual Giving
The University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business has named Richard (Rick) West as its new director of annual giving. "We’re very pleased to have someone with Rick’s background joining our team and have great confidence in his abilities to take the annual giving program to the next level," said David Lotz, assistant dean of resource development. Get the full story.
 Fortune 500 CEOs Exchange Ideas on the Energy and Transportation Pipeline
Gary Kelly, CEO and vice chairman of Southwest Airlines, and William Greehey, recently retired CEO and Chairman of Valero Energy, are on opposite ends of the energy debate. In an interview with Jeff Greenfield, CNN senior analyst, for the PBS show CEO Exchange, the two Fortune 500 CEOs discussed how their companies respond to changes in government energy regulations. Get the full story.
Man Behind Poker's Popularity Reveals His Strategy
Any poker player knows you can't win big without taking big risks. Steve Lipscomb, founder and CEO of the World Poker Tour, knew this basic principle when he left his successful attorney referral business in the late 1990s to move into the entertainment field. Get the full story of Lipscomb's recent talk.
Alison Davis-Blake Honored With Endowed Scholarship
To honor departing Senior Associate Dean Alison Davis-Blake's unfailing commitment and service to the McCombs School, several faculty and administrators are enlisting private and corporate assistance to fund an endowed scholarship in Davis-Blake's name. Find out more about the endowed scholarship.
Nominate a McCombs MBA Alumni Business Leader and Outstanding Chapter Event
McCombs invites you to submit a nomination for the 2005-2006 Rising Star and Outstanding Chapter Event Awards. These awards are 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 in Austin, Texas. Nominations must be received by May 15, 2006.
ALUMNI & FRIENDS NEWS & NOTES
 Are You Involved With Your Local Alumni Group? There are 26 MBA alumni chapters from Austin to China and beyond. Find yours and reunite with MBA classmates today! Pictured: The London alumni group at a recent gathering.
Ben Carpenter, Las Colinas Developer, Dies at 82 Real estate developer and World War II veteran Ben H. Carpenter (BBA '48) died at his home on March 3 at the age of 82. Carpenter's family has long been active at The University of Texas at Austin. Learn more about Ben Carpenter's involvement with the school.
 Red McCombs Honored by Texas Sports Hall of Fame The Texas Sports Hall of Fame honored Red McCombs with the Lamar Hunt Lifetime Achievement Award February 15 in Waco, Texas. McCombs was given tribute for his support of both amateur and professional sports. McCombs, benefactor of the McCombs School of Business, is a former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Vikings. In 1997, McCombs also donated $3 million to The University of Texas at Austin women’s athletics program. He added this honor to his other accolades from the Texas Business Hall of Fame, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas Philanthropy Hall of Fame.
McCombs Alumni Added as HM Capital Partners L.L.C. On March 8, 2006, Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst changed its name following the addition of several partners to the firm, including Jason H. Downie (BBA '92, MBA '99). The Dallas-based, private investment firm became HM Capital Partners L.L.C. Jack D. Furst (MBA '84) remains on HM Capital's senior investment team.
MBA Students Travel Abroad  The MBA Global Connections just returned from six different destinations including China, Eastern Europe, South Africa and India (pictured on the right). This yearly event allows students to meet with local and multinational companies and connect with McCombs alumni in other countries. Learn more here.
MBA Alum Featured on Cable Comedy Show Tim Washer (MBA '96), a "corporate comedian" was featured earlier this year on hour-long special on the cable comedy show Bananas. Previous television appearances include Late Night with Conan O'Brien and "Filibuster," a commercial for Cablevision in which, portraying a senator, he regaled legislative colleagues with a long-winded list of shows available through the company’s new interactive plan. Read more about Washer.
McCombs MBA Alumnus Teaches How Food Can Be Your Best Medicine In Deirdre Earls' (MBA '93) new book, Your Healing Diet: A Quick Guide to Reversing Chronic Diseases through Healing Foods, readers will learn how to take charge of their lives with a healthy, natural diet system tailor-made for those with fast-paced lifestyles. For more information, visit Earls' Web site.
A change in your life? Submit 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.
More McCombs News
Salbu Named Dean of Georgia Tech University's College of Management
MBA Alumni Encourages Small Business with Native American Tribes (Texas Exes membership required to read the full story)
McCombs Faculty Ranked Among Top 10 Business Schools for Research Productivity
UT Named Top Ten School for Entrepreneurship
McCombs Home Page Gets New Look
Fall/Winter 2005 Texas Magazine Available Online
View more McCombs School of Business News Online...
McCombs Monthly Archive |
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Vol. 8, No. 5 March 29, 2006 |
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Alumni and Friends Links |
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Alumni Website
Development
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B-School Alumni Directory
McCombs News
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McCombs Merchandise
 Check out the McCombs merchandise in the online store today. From executive gifts (like the business card holder to the left) to t-shirts to travel items -- we've got something for the current or future business mogul!
Upcoming Events
2nd Annual McCombs MBA Charity Auction: "Big Hats, Big Hair"
Benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas
Thursday, March 30, 8pm - Midnight
Scholz Beer Garden
Featuring live music by Roger Wallace and a huge silent auction ($10 suggested donation at the door)
Email us for more information.
First Annual MBA Alumni Business Conference
March 31, 2006
Global Moot Corp Competition
May 3 - 6, 2006 |
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Investment Opportunities |
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 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.
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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.
 David Gee
A first-year MBA student, David Gee (MBA ’07) landed at McCombs via Indiana, Florida and Sydney, Australia. “I fell in love with Austin on a road trip 10 years ago—the people, the city, the music…It was a place that, for me, always stood out,” said Gee, an active member of the Graduate Business Council, the McCombs Admissions Committee and the Information Management Association.
Along with the Tex-Mex and great music, the global opportunities in the McCombs MBA program were a big draw for Gee, who is fostering a career in international information systems management.
Gee just returned from a trip to India through the McCombs Global Connections, a program that combines classroom instruction with “business trips” to countries in an effort to globalize the MBA.
“When you take a trip like this, you get the chance to network deeper with a smaller subset than what you’ll find in a classroom setting—it puts you in situations that force you to connect with people. When you’re stuck on a 15-hour train ride from Kottayam to Bangladesh with live mice running around…well, you tend to get to know your fellow travelers/classmates pretty well,” added Gee.
These relationships and opportunities constitute the value proposition of his MBA for Gee, who entered the program to flesh out his 10 plus years of technology industry experience and to enhance his international business acumen. In fact, Gee has plans to continue his international study through a possible study abroad semester next spring.
“You choose a full-time MBA program for the opportunities you’ll find outside the classroom,” Gee said. “You do it to travel to India. You do it to study abroad. You do it to build relationships and get involved. That’s where the memories and the impact of the program lie.”
Find out more information on the McCombs Global Connections or sponsor international activities as a corporation or individual.
Upcoming Texas Executive Education Programs
Responding to Market Dynamics
May 11-12, Dr. Kapil Jain
Building Engagement: What Leaders do to Manage Talent & Build Allegiance
June 15-16, Dr. John Daly and Dr. Donde Plowman | |
Last Updated
Wednesday, July 23, 2008