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School News
Leadership Changes, MBA Graduate Joins Staff
From the dean’s office to program offices, several leadership changes are underway at McCombs.Janet Dukerich, the William H. Arlitt Professor of Management and the department’s chair, has accepted the position of senior associate dean for academic affairs of the McCombs School of Business, effective June 1, 2006. She will replace Alison Davis- Blake, who has been named dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
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Pamela Haunschild will succeed Dukerich as chair of the Department
of Management. Haunschild joined McCombs in January 2003 after
leaving an academic post at Stanford. She has since served as a
professor of management for day and evening MBA programs, the
doctoral program and the undergraduate honors program.
Eric Hirst, professor of accounting and Ernst & Young faculty
fellow, will take on a new leadership role as associate dean for
graduate programs at McCombs, effective Sept. 1, 2006. He will
replace current dean, Steve Salbu, who has accepted the deanship at
Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Management.
Stephen Limberg, the Pricewaterhouse- Coopers Centennial Professor
in Accounting, has been named director of the MPA and PPA programs
at McCombs. Rick Joseph, the director of the MPA and PPA programs
for the past six years, has stepped down to resume his full- time
role on the school’s faculty. The official transition will occur
during summer 2006.
David Wenger, MBA ’96, joined the staff at McCombs in the newly
expanded role of director of marketing, communications and public
affairs. In his position, he will develop the marketing strategy and
communications plan for the school.
Faculty Earn Promotions
Jay Hartzell (Finance), Andy Henderson(Management) and Stathis Tompaidis (IROM), were promoted to associate professors in 2005. Michael Brandl (Finance), Dean Bredeson (IROM), Britt Freund (IROM), Regina Hughes (Finance) and Sandy Leeds (Finance) were promoted to senior lecturers.Plus Program Restructures, Global Connections
Offers Business Trips
This year, the MBA Plus Program has undergone a few changes to
better provide personal and professional development opportunities
to McCombs MBA students. While the central themes and initiatives
remain unchanged— including student-initiated Plus projects,
communications labs and coaches, workshops, speakers, and other
special events—a few key structural changes have been made. The program now focuses primarily on serving first-year students, though second-year students may still participate. Plus curriculum and events span the entire fall and spring semesters. There is no longer a two-week Plus period in mid-spring.
A new program called McCombs Global Connections offers what used to be known as Plus Global. Both first- and second-year students may take a three-hour course concentrating on the economic, political, cultural and social background of a specific region. Then, for two weeks during the spring semester, the class will visit the region on a business trip, which may include visits to multinational and local companies, project work at a partner school and alumni receptions.
Executive Education Builds Shell Project Academy
Royal Dutch Shell Petroleum, PLC has selected the Executive Education program at the McCombs School to teach a custom program initiative, the Shell Project Academy, one of the largest university-based or external executive education projects in the world.The Shell Project Academy will train Shell project managers from all over the world, through 35 courses that will be developed and delivered in multiple locations. The project is expected to last many years.
After a 12-month review process, Shell’s Decision Review Board approved the school as the developer and deliverer of the Shell Project Academy last fall. The official approval will run through four fiscal years, 2006–2009, with two potential three-year extensions.
This long-term partnership with Shell is also a collaborative effort with three other institutions—Queensland University of Technology in Australia, Cranfield University in the U.K. and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
“This is an opportunity for McCombs to partner with a world-class organization, other universities and one of the leaders in the energy industry to create and deliver courses that demonstrate Shell’s commitment to project performance,” said Lawrence Abeln, associate dean and director of Executive Education.
ACCOUNTING
New Course Helps Provide Tax Preparation Aid to Austin
In partnership with the Community Tax Centers, a Foundation Communities program, Professor Steve Limberg is teaching the first-ever service learning class offered by the Department of Accounting.Federal Taxation of Low-Income Filers: Socio-Economic Forces is a semester long course that allows students to combine their academic studies in the classroom with a volunteer community service project helping low-income Central Texans file their tax returns.
Last year, Community Tax Center volunteers prepared more than 7,400 tax returns and brought nearly $10 million in refunds and credits to Central Texas families. This year’s goal is to serve 14,000 families and generate 18.8 million in tax savings with 350 to 400 volunteers.
Limberg’s class of more than 144 undergraduate and graduate students will fill a substantial portion of the organization’s volunteer need and will receive training and certification to participate in the project.
In addition to the 60 hours of service required, the course also includes a rigorous, multi-disciplinary curriculum addressing socio-economic issues facing low-income communities. Several guest speakers and experts in their fields will join the class to discuss demographics, immigration, public policy, economic development, the role of corporations in the community, the Internal Revenue Service and ethics.
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Kinney’s Work Receives Favorable Review
Accounting Professor William Kinney contributed a chapter titled, “The Auditor as Gatekeeper: A Perilous Expectations Gap” to a recent book, “Restoring Trust in American Business,” published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His chapter, which explains the ethical dilemmas auditors face when the public expects the Big Four auditing firms to police corporate America, was acclaimed by Steve Weinberg in the Investigative Reporters and Editors Journal this fall. “Kinney educates journalists about the expanded responsibilities of auditors in the wake of gigantic corporate scandals,” Weinberg wrote.
FINANCE
Dallas Private Equity and Investment Banking Field Trip Launched
Last fall, a group of 35 MBA students participated in the first Private Equity and Investment Banking Dallas Field Trip, visiting the major financial center to learn about the exclusive fields.Students chose to follow either the private equity or investment banking tracks during the field trip, and each track included informative panel discussions and networking opportunities.
“To have the opportunity to canvas a large piece of the Dallas private equity market in one day was very valuable for all participants,” said George Dethlefsen, MBA ’06. “All firms involved committed senior personnel to our meetings and were very open and honest in their discussions.” The field trip was hosted by American Capital; Citigroup Global Markets; Cogent Partners; The Halifax Group; Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst; Houlihan Lokey; Lehman Brothers Private Fund Advisors; MHT Partners; The Riverside Company and Wingate Partners.
IROM
McCombs Professor Andrew Whinston Receives 2005 Leo Award
Andrew Whinston, professor of information, risk, and operations management and the Hugh Roy Cullen Centennial Chair in Business Administration, was selected as this year’s Leo Award recipient for a lifetime of exceptional achievement in information systems. The Leo Award, which was established in 1999 by the Association for Information Systems and the executive committee of the International Conference on Information Systems, honors outstanding individuals who have contributed to the information systems community.Ladson Named Informs Fellow
Leon Lasdon, professor of information, risk, and operations management and the David Bruton, Jr., Centennial Chair in Business Decision Support Systems, has been named a fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). The award recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the advancement of operations research and the management sciences and have served both the professional field and INFORMS. The Fellow Award is reserved for distinguished individuals who have demonstrated outstanding and exceptional accomplishments and experience in operations research and the management sciences.MANAGEMENT
Dierking’s Teaching Recognized By Texas Exes
Douglas Dierking, management lecturer, received this year’s Texas Exes Teaching Award. The award, selected annually by students, honors one professor and one teaching assistant from each school at The University of Texas at Austin who have significantly and positively impacted the educational experiences of university students. Dierking teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses at McCombs, blending theoretical concepts with practical applications of the material.“I have a consulting background, and I try to bring in relevant examples and experiences in order to make the connections with practical applications,” he said. “I also try to connect with each student on some level and take an interest in their success in my class.” Dierking added that the central theme of all his classes is learning to work with and be productive with others. David Roth, a marketing teaching assistant at McCombs, also received the Texas Exes Teaching Award.
MARKETING
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Vijay Mahajan Receives Award
From Alma Mater
Vijay Mahajan, McCombs marketing professor and the John P. Harbin
Centennial Chair in Business, received the 2005-2006 Distinguished
Alumni Award from the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur for
outstanding and seminal contributions to academics, specifically in
the area of marketing studies. This is the most prestigious alumni
award recognizing exceptional merit by the Institute. “Among all the
lifetime achievement awards I have received, I feel most blessed to
receive this from IIT Kanpur,” said Mahajan. “I am so grateful.” He
earned his B.Tech degree in chemical engineering from the Institute
in 1970.Marketing Professor Earns Educator Award
Robert A. Peterson, marketing professor and the John T. Stuart III Centennial Chair in Business Administration at McCombs, is this year’s winner of the 2006 AMA/Irwin/McGraw-Hill Distinguished Marketing Educator Award. Nominees for the award are evaluated in terms of six criteria: general creativity, administrative contributions, teaching and mentoring, public service, research contributions and service to the marketing profession. Many of those who nominated Peterson asserted that he has made significant contributions to each area—a rarity in past winners.For Peterson, marketing is not just a job. “It’s not a profession,” he said, “it’s a lifestyle. You’re teaching people, you’re helping people, you’re conducting research, you’re creating and disseminating knowledge.”
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