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McCombs School of Business

IN THIS ISSUE
Faculty Speakers
TEE Offers Two Great Programs This Month
1996 & 2001 Reunion
Winter Events

MBA Alumni Return to Campus for Reunion 2006
alumni reunion The MBA classes of 1996 and 2001 were in Austin last weekend for their 5- and 10-year reunions. A weekend of activities included a welcome reception at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel; a school update, tour and dinner at McCombs; a football game-watching party at the Alumni Center; and a farewell brunch at Threadgill’s South.

“Alumni were really happy to see each other and had a great time reminiscing and visiting McCombs and Austin,” said Jennie Loev, director of MBA Alumni Relations. “We look forward to seeing the classes of 1997 and 2002 next year.”

A special thank you goes out to the reunion committee co-chairs:
Class of 1996: Keith McAfee, David Mehok, Andy Obst, Troy Findlay, Susan Roberson, Nicole Sada and Jason Watkins
Class of 2001: Amy McMichael Paddock, Drew Ellis, Kirsten Evans, Leslie Langford, Valerie Paul and Greg Pins

To learn more about the McCombs MBA Alumni Network, including how to access the alumni directory, visit the McCombs MBA Alumni Network Web site.

McCombs MBA Program Ranked 20th by Business Week
The McCombs School’s full-time MBA program was ranked 20th in the nation by BusinessWeek in the magazine’s biennial listing of business schools (Oct. 23, 2006). In a breakdown by academic specialty, McCombs earned top-ten marks in finance, marketing and management. Get the full story.

Annual Alumni BBQ Draws Large Crowd
The fall 2006 Alumni BBQ was a success as usual. Held in the Atrium on Oct. 14, alumni of all stripes gathered prior to the Texas-Baylor football game to enjoy delicious Texas food, listen to the Texas Swing Kings, win raffle prizes and engage the kids in games and activities.

Mark Your Calendars - UT EMBA Association Annual Business Seminar - February 9, 2007
All MBA alumni are invited to the seminar "Conscious Capitalism: A Moral Transformation of Capitalism?" A panel of leaders from the business community will explore relevant topics of corporate responsibility from business ethics to community involvement. Confirmed speakers include: Patricia Aburdeen, co-author of the Megatrends books, and Tod Arbogast, responsible for managing Dell’s Sustainability team and programs.

A website will be constructed for this event sometime next month, keep checking the McCombs site for more information.

Save the Date: MBA Alumni Business Conference, March 22-23, 2007
The theme of the McCombs MBA Alumni Network's 2nd annual business conference is "Navigating the Global Workplace." Don't miss your next opportunity to get back to campus to network with fellow alumni and learn about the latest happenings at McCombs. Plus, new this year, you can take advatange of one-on-one sessions with career advisors. Additional details and registration information.

Alumni Invited to Submit Finance Projects
Do you work for a financial service organization or bank? Then the MBA Plus Program needs your finance-focused projects. This is a great way to support the education of current MBA students and stay connected to the McCombs School. One key initiative of Plus, an extra-curricular and experiential component to the MBA Program, is its work with MBA teams to create corporate micro-consulting projects. This fall students are working with IKEA, McKinsey, Eli Lilly and the Denver Broncos.

Our spring projects can be with clients outside of Austin and are free. Our stellar MBAs conduct research and analysis for your company and then provide recommendations for execution. If you have a project in mind, please contact the Plus Program Director, Saleem Assaf. To learn more about Plus, visit the McCombs Web site.

Follow this link to learn more about the Plus Program.
Follow this link to learn more about IMBASA.

Legacy Room Opens Amid Much Fanfare
An Oct. 13 reception celebrated the grand opening of the new Legacy Events Room, a renovation of Classroom 2000 made possible through the fundraising efforts of the MBA Class of 2004 and its Leave A Legacy campaign efforts. Many thanks to Leave A Legacy 2004 co-chairs David Marye and John Adams for their stellar work on this campaign. Located above the Hall of Honors, the new space will be used for special events and meetings. Read the press release.

Executive Education Opportunities
Texas Executive Education offers you two great programs this month:
Leveraging Culture & Organizational Change
Nov. 16-17 - Learn to recognize when change is needed, and how to manage and lead change in a collaborative environment.
Accounting & Finance for Non-Financial Managers
Nov. 30-Dec. 1 - Become proficient in the language of business. Learn how to identify relevant information, apply analytical skills to make better business decisions and take maximum advantage of business opportunities.

For complete course descriptions and registration information visit us online.

International Night, An Annual MBA Tradition
Wednesday, November 29 7:00-10:00 p.m. at the Frank Erwin Center
Each year, the International MBA Student Association (IMBASA) and the Plus Program host the capstone event of the fall semester - International Night. All MBAs, friends, family and alumni are invited.

For the past four years this has been the largest MBA event of the year, with almost 1,000 attendees. Country booths will showcase the food and culture from 15 of the 21 countries represented among the current MBAs. The food will be rich, tasty, authentic, and abundant. Entertainment will include performances by a Mexican mariachi band and a Brazilian capoeira group. For children there will be a balloon artist, juggler, clown and face painter. For adults, there is a cash wine and beer bar. A special thanks to our corporate sponsor, Chevron, who will have give-aways for all attendees. RSVPs are not needed, simply show up and be sure to bring your friends and family with you!

Faculty Speakers Coming to a Location Near You
The McCombs School’s Faculty Speaker Series brings our expertise to you as our award-winning professors visit MBA chapters around the country to talk about insights from their research in business. Upcoming speakers include:

Andres Almazan, “Firm Location and Financial Choices” November 14, 2006 New York City - Almazan shows that firms that locate in clusters are more active in mergers and acquisitions and make financial choices distinct from those that do not.
Jim Fredrickson, “Are You Sure You Have a Strategy?” February 7, 2007 Atlanta - Fredrickson draws on award-winning research to specify the five domains that define a real strategy and how their unification is critical to long-term success.
William Cunningham, “Corporate Governance” March 15, 2007 Dallas - Cunningham focuses on major failures of corporate governance in recent years and discusses what boards and management can do to prevent reoccurrences.

To learn more about the Faculty Speaker Series, visit the Speaker page and click on Calendar of Events.

McCombs Winter Receptions Being Planned
Find a Winter Reception close to you and enjoy the company of your fellow alumni: Coming to 15 cities in January.

More McCombs News

Paul Tetlock Op-Ed Examines Internet Gambling Legislation
New York Times, Oct. 9, 2006
Paul Tetlock, assistant professor of finance, coauthored a New York Times op-ed that examined proposed legislation to shut down online gambling. Tetlock says the law would affect a form of Internet gambling which has worth to society—sites dealing in information markets. “For instance, we now have markets for predicting political and economic events, where you can wager on the monthly unemployment rate or the outcome of the presidential race,” Tetlock writes. “Why should we care? Because information markets, which essentially reflect the collective wisdom of savvy bettors, can help us make more accurate forecasts.” Read the Editorial.

Prepare for Talent and Market Growth in Developing World, Mahajan Says
The Economist, Oct. 5, 2006
Every year India produces about 2.5 million university graduates, including 400,000 engineers and 200,000 IT professionals. As the outsourcing talent boom shows no sign of slowing, Vijay Mahajan, McCombs marketing professor and former dean of the Indian School of Business, points out that the huge labor pool isn't the only thing growing in India. The developing world is also a booming market. General Electric calculates that 60 percent of its growth over the coming decade will come from the developing world, compared with 20 percent over the past decade. Get the full story (subscription required).

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

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	Vol. 9, No. 2 November 16, 2006
	Alumni and Friends Links
	Alumni Website Development Update Your Address B-School Alumni Directory McCombs News Texas Exes Online Services

	Raj Gilda Raj Gilda (MBA 2001) and his wife Sunanda Mane grew up in small villages in India where opportunity is as sparse as the shade trees and watering holes. It was only through the attention and help of others that they escaped the fate of many a rural Indian child and achieved the current level of success they now enjoy. Now, they feel, it’s time to give back. Three years ago, with a mere $500 pooled by five friends, Gilda and Mane launched Lend-A-Hand-India, a non-profit organization that calls them back every six months to the Western Indian state of Maharashtra to be the force that lifts up the next generation of disadvantaged children. Working with existing non-profit organizations on the ground in India, Gilda and Mane are bringing their unique skills—Gilda in business strategy and marketing, Mane in social services and operations—to grow programs that have already proven successful on a small scale. Their most ambitious goal is a project, called Plan 100, aimed at equipping 20,000 girls and boys from 100 high schools in rural India with job and life skills by the year 2008. Lend-A-Hand’s most recent fund-raising event was Gilda’s “Run for a Dream,” NY marathon run on Nov. 5, 2006. Visit www.lend-a-hand-india.org to find out how he fared in the race and what fundraisers are coming up next. David Hendrix Dave Hendrix (MBA 1997) has come full circle in the McCombs MBA Alumni (MMA) Network—the school’s graduate business alumni association. He was involved with its creation in 1996 and now he has assumed the Chair position on its Advisory Board. “It has been incredible to see the growth in the alumni network,” says Hendrix, “from being a completely new organization with no funding, no chapters, and limited alumni interest to a thriving organization that truly serves our alumni base with almost 30 chapters and numerous services and networking opportunities.” Hendrix’s experience with the MMA Network over the years makes him an outstanding choice for the new Chair. He was the first Director while still a student at McCombs (when the organization was still called the Graduate Business Network). He has also served as Chair of the Membership Committee, San Diego Chapter President, and 1997 Class President. During the next two years, Hendrix will focus on continuing the growth of the MMA Network and its chapters, increasing alumni interaction between the MBA programs (Full-time, Executive, Evening, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and Mexico City), and building more (and better) networking opportunities for alumni. Hendrix was most recently a vice president at Convio where he led the company’s Client Services organization. Before joining Convio, he was a member of the original founding team at Kinzan, a venture-funded enterprise software company, where he had consecutive roles as Director of Professional Services, Director of Operations, and Vice President of Operations. Hendrix also spent time as a consultant at A.T. Kearney and Ernst & Young and served four years as a Systems Engineer in the United States Air Force. While an MBA student at McCombs, Hendrix concentrated in Entrepreneurship and was involved with the development of a number of successful new ventures, including the creation of BioGel Incorporated, winner of the International Moot Corp© Competition for Entrepreneurs. Hendrix also holds a degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia. He lives in Austin with his wife, Robin, and his two daughters, Kasey (4) and Allison (2). For more information on the MOOTCorp competition, visit the competition website. To learn more about the MBA Alumni Network, visit the McCombs MMA site.
	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: Black Diamond Capital Partners - Analyst Cottonwood Financial - Business Planning Analyst BearingPoint - Senior Requirements Analyst Software Architects - Consultant 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.

	Investment Opportunities 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. Related Links Hermes Society Matching Gift Program Give Online 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. The McCombs School of Business 2004-05 Investors' Report is now available online. Visit the home page to view the 2004-05 donors and financial information. McCombs Merchandise
	We've got t-shirts and other McCombs wearables in the online store. Show your school and university pride, whether you're in the stadium or cheering from the couch.