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MMA Network Celebrates 10th Year
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While the informal McCombs alumni network has been around for
decades, the McCombs MBA Alumni (MMA) Network celebrates its 10th
anniversary this year. Established in 1996 by McCombs students and
alumni, the MMA Network has developed into a force driving many
initiatives to promote the McCombs MBA as a leading business program.
The organization delivers value to McCombs students and alumni, fosters
loyalty among alumni and builds a strategic channel of communication and
exchange between alumni and the school.
Though the MMA Network is still a young organization, its
accomplishments in the last decade are extensive. Just a few of its
accolades include the creation of 26 chapters throughout the world, a
communitywide networking database, 5- and 10-year class reunions, summer
and winter receptions, the alumni interview program and the MBA alumni
magazine you are reading now. Within the past year, the MMA Network also
held its first MBA Alumni Awards Celebration in October and the first
MBA Alumni Business Conference in March.
“The alumni network is incredibly powerful, not only because it connects
15,000 alumni to McCombs and each other, but because of the people who
make up our network,” says Jennie Loev, MBA ’03 and director of alumni
relations for the McCombs MBA program. “We are very fortunate to have
intelligent, successful and passionate alumni throughout the world.”
Dean George Gau has also emphasized alumni involvement and incorporated
it into his strategic plan. “We’ve noticed the strategic efforts,” says
Michael Bacon, MBA ’98 and chairman of the MMA Network. “We’re paying
attention and looking forward to being a part of it.”
The MMA Network has several goals, and there are many ways you can help
fulfill them, such as:
• Create a new chapter in your area
• Take on a leadership position in your existing chapter
• Build an alumni network within your company
• Hire fellow McCombs MBAs
• Get involved with the Alumni Advisory Board
• Join a board committee
• Help recruit top talent to the MBA program
• Attend events in your area
• Visit Austin for the MBA Alumni Awards Celebration and the MBA Alumni Business Conference
The network has a solid foundation. As it enters its second decade, a
key goal is to take it to the next level. As alumni, you have the
opportunity to channel your passion for McCombs and help your alma mater
become the top public business school in the nation.
MMA NETWORK
How to Start a McCombs MBA Alumni Group at Your Company
Enhance the value of your degree by leading an MMA group at your company. Regardless of the size of the corporation, creating a smaller community within the organization has many advantages, both for you and your employer. It provides connections throughout your company, allows you to showcase your leadership skills and grants you visibility to alumni at all levels of the company.When I was working at Dell, I worked with Joe Strathmann, MBA ’00, to establish a group called McCombs MBAs at Dell (MMaD). While many of the examples pertain specifically to Dell, by following these tips you can create a similar group of any size or structure at your own company.
To start a corporate alumni group:
1. Search for alumni by going to this link: http://mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/mma and clicking on Alumni Directory (under Networking Community). Search by company to find alumni who are also your coworkers.
2. Engage a group of two to five alumni to discuss the group’s goals and objectives. For example, at Dell, the group objectives include:
• enhancing Dell’s winning culture
• strengthening Dell/McCombs recruiting
• leveraging McCombs resources
• boosting McCombs resources
3. Determine the type of structure and governance necessary to
accomplish your objective. Because there are about 300
McCombs MBA alumni at Dell, we structured our group to involve alumni at
all levels of the organization. The organization includes co-chairs who
lead the core team and organize advisory board meetings; an advisory
board, which consists of alumni at the director level and above; and
three committees: Dell/McCombs Interface, Dell
Winning Culture, and Technology Interface.
4. Agree on the frequency of meetings and schedule a recurring meeting
to ensure you reserve time to provide updates on any progress as it
relates to the group. For example, Dell’s core team meets every two
weeks, and the advisory board meetings are conducted on a quarterly
basis.
5. Set goals for the number and types of events. For example, Microsoft
organizes quarterly lunches and Dell schedules quarterly networking
events.
6. Consider other opportunities to connect with the school. For example,
the Dell/McCombs committee works with student organizations to identify
opportunities to connect alumni in a functional area to student groups
targeting that area.
7. Have fun! You may decide that meeting at a local sports bar to watch
a football game in the fall and then meeting for lunch in the spring is
optimal for the alumni at your company. Or you may decide to plan more
elaborate and frequent events. Either way, enjoy your network! —Jennie
Loev
If you have questions on how to start an alumni group at your company,
feel free to contact former MMaD Co-Chairs Jennie Loev, MBA ’03,
Jennie.Loev@mccombs.utexas.edu, or Joe Strathmann, MBA ’00,
Joe_Strathmann@Dell.com. Or contact current MMaD Co-Chairs: Farhan
Musharrif, MBA ’03, Farhan_Musharrif@Dell.com, or Mike Totah, MBA ’05,
Mike_Totah@Dell.com.
NETWORK MCCOMBS
Inaugural Alumni Network Business Conference
In today’s business environment, managers must consider the long-term
implications of their decisions. Studying ethics is critical in the wake
of recent corporate business scandals. Companies of all sizes are
bearing the consequences of poor decision making, including the
California energy crisis and the reforming regulations of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act.At the inaugural McCombs MBA Alumni Network Business Conference, held March 31, professors and alumni convened to address the topic of “Ethics, Law, and Managerial Decision Making.” Alumni attended a luncheon with Dean Gau, received an update on McCombs and toured the business school with Eric Hirst, the upcoming associate dean for graduate programs. MBA alumni also attended sessions with Professors Steve Salbu, David Spence, Michael Granof, Christopher Meakin and Robert Prentice.
The McCombs MBA Alumni Network initiated this annual event to provide an opportunity for alumni to return to campus each spring.
ALUMNI COMMITTEES
Alumni Giving Committee
Last year, the Alumni Giving Committee devised a unique giving opportunity called the McCombs MBA Alumni Endowed Excellence Fund, which provides funds to launch student-driven initiatives. This idea inspired Dean George Gau to challenge MBA alumni to raise $100,000 by Aug. 31, 2005 to qualify for McCombs Matching Funds.Thanks to the generous support of MBA alumni and friends—including founding donors Beau Ross, MBA ’88; Jason Downie, BBA ’92, MBA ’99; Jack Furst, MBA ’84; Chris Johnson, MBA ’95; David Gordon, MBA ’00; and John McCollum, MBA ’97—they met the challenge, doubling the initial gifts.
With alumni support, the endowment continues to grow, providing greater resources to enhance the experience of McCombs MBA students.
Alumni-student interaction is a key part of the endowment, according to Ross, committee co-chair. “We are very excited to bring more alumni support to students and work to enhance the MBA program,” he says.
To determine distribution, an award committee—including two MBA program representatives, two MBA students and two MBA alumni—considers projects that students, faculty, staff and alumni submit for review. Then, they make allocation recommendations.
“So far, we’re off to a great start,” says Downie, committee co-chair. “We’ve already been able to provide funding for our first project, the Women in Business Leadership Conference, this spring. It’s a great example of the kind of project we’re going to look to support in the future as we focus on improving the dialogue between professionals and students.”
To learn more about supporting the fund, please contact Sandy White at 512-475-8179 or sandy.white@mccombs.utexas.edu. If you wish to contribute a gift online, please go to http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/development/mbafund.asp. For more information on the Alumni Giving Committee, contact Jason Downie at jdownie@hmtf.com.
Alumni Recognition Committee
To honor McCombs MBA alumni in a new way, the Alumni Recognition Committee partnered with the Graduate Business Council to create two alumni awards—the Rising Star and Outstanding Chapter Event Awards—and presented them October 28 at The University of Texas Club.The Rising Star Award—which recognizes a graduate who has achieved professional success and has helped strengthen the MMA Network within 10 years after graduation—was awarded to Jeff Hoogendam, MBA ’95.
Hoogendam is the founder and CEO of Smartprice.com, a free service that offers advice to businesses and consumers about telecommunications providers, such as long distance phone carriers and data suppliers. He is a board member of the MOOT CORP® Foundation as well as a judge in the annual MOOT CORP competition.
This year’s Outstanding Chapter Event Award, created to recognize the hard work of chapter leaders and honor an exceptional event held within the year, was presented to the Dallas chapter. Under the direction of its new president, Alan Stein, MBA ’94, the Dallas chapter has put on several events and consistently secured sponsors for speakers in its Executive Speaker Series.
To nominate an MBA graduate for the 2006 awards, please fill out the nomination card in this issue of Exchange, or visit http://mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/mma/alumniawards2006.
To join the Alumni Recognition Committee, which is charged with finding new and creative ways to honor McCombs MBA alumni, contact Alumni Recognition Chair Roland Galang, MBA ’99, at roland@urbanspacecommercial.com.
Career Networking Committee
The Career Networking Committee provides the tools and support for alumni from different graduating classes, functions and industries to effectively network with each other. The committee is working to create opportunities for students and alumni to communicate more easily and frequently. To achieve this goal, the committee is collaborating with a group of students to conduct benchmarking analyses of McCombs Alumni Career Service offerings relative to peer schools. It is also developing a career services marketing plan and establishing industry specific networking events.“As I have progressed in my career since leaving Austin, a few seasoned industry veterans have been kind enough to help guide me through key transitions,” says David Gilman, MBA ’98 and committee chair. “The committee’s goal is to ensure that all students and alumni have access to those resources within the McCombs MBA community.” For more information, please contact David Gilman at dgilman@frankel-group.com.
Membership Committee
Charged with recruiting new members to the McCombs MBA Advisory Board, the Membership Committee is focused on providing better resources for new board members and class presidents. Chris Spahr, MBA ’02, is leading a project to create the “Class President Toolkit,” a resource manual for class presidents to guide them through planning reunions, serving as information providers and maintaining contact with class members.“There is no question that we have a remarkable group of people who participate with the advisory board, and who are extremely successful in their professional careers,” says Tom Stephenson, MBA ’95 and committee chair. “Because of our joint experiences and connection to the school, we can help each other grow professionally and build our businesses.” To learn more, contact Tom Stephenson at tstephenson@vergefund.com.
Experienced Alumni Committee
The Experienced Alumni Committee provides opportunities for alumni who graduated prior to 1994 to renew their relationships with the McCombs School of Business and network with other experienced alumni and recent graduates. The committee has worked closely with the MMA Network to create the McCombs Faculty Speaker Series, which brings faculty to alumni chapters to speak about current trends and topics.“As experienced alumni become more engaged with the network, the allegiance culture we seek to create will become a reality,” says Eddy Trevino, MBA ’86 and committee chair. For more information on becoming active, contact Eddy Trevino at eddy_trevino@alumni.utexas.net.
Mentorship Committee
The alumni network is very excited about launching a new mentorship program to enhance and propel careers. Get involved by serving as a one-on-one mentor, a student organization mentor or a city mentor.“We hope that the mentorship experience will foster a lasting relationship between students and alumni,” says David Gordon, MBA ’00 and committee chair. Interested alumni should contact David Gordon at david.gordon@mccombs.utexas.edu.
