15 minute read
Rundown
rundown |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| A ROUNDUP OF NEWS FROM RICE BUSINESS AND BEYOND
Jim McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack, shared stories of service to the Houston community during Hurricane Harvey at the Rice Customer Management Symposium. >
Advertisement
Election Results
Holli Ladhani EMBA ’10 joined the Rice University Board of Trustees July 1. She has been CEO and president of Select Energy Services Inc., a Houston-based company that provides water and chemical solutions to oil field operators in all major unconventional basins in the U.S. and Canada, since late 2017, when the company merged with Rockwater Energy Solutions Inc., where she served as president, CEO and chairman. Holli previously held senior leadership positions with Dynegy and PricewaterhouseCoopers and serves on the board of directors of Noble Energy Inc. and also on the board of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas.
PROMOTIONS Alan Crane, Associate Professor of Finance
Brian Akins was recognized with the Mackey-Simons chair for junior faculty.
Erik Dane was recognized with the Jones School Distinguished Associate Professor chair.
NEW Jaeyeon Chung, Assistant Professor of Marketing Eleanor “Nell” Putnam-Farr, Assistant Professor of Marketing Alessandro Piazza, Assistant Professor of Strategic Management Kunal Sachdeva, Assistant Professor of Finance Jonathan Miles, Lecturer in Organizational Behavior Michael Brandt, Lecturer in Finance Jeffrey Russell, Lecturer in Communication Rick Johnston, Visiting Assistant Professor in Accounting Kelly Drakey, Lecturer in Management, Accounting
AWARDS Five faculty members were recognized for excellence in teaching during Investiture. Honorees were chosen by Rice MBA alumni as well as by students from the three MBA programs.
James Weston, the Harmon Whittington Chair in Finance, received the Full-Time MBA Award for Teaching Excellence.
Prashant Kale, associate professor of strategic management, received the MBA for Professionals Evening Award for Teaching Excellence.
Alan Crane, assistant professor of finance, received the MBA for Professionals Weekend Award for Teaching Excellence.
Al Danto, lecturer in management, received the MBA for Executives Award for Teaching Excellence.
Brian Rountree, associate professor of accounting, received the Alumni Award for Teaching Excellence.
Each year, the university honors members of the Rice community who have served the students through outstanding teaching, dedication and service. Rice Business professors represented well this year.
Douglas Schuler, associate professor of business and public policy, was chosen for the Teaching Award for Excellence in Inquiry-Based Learning. The award was established to bring attention to the efforts across campus to fold inquiry and research into the curriculum; it recognizes faculty who demonstrate excellence in the use of inquiry-based learning methods in undergraduate teaching.
The Presidential Award for Mentoring went to Alex Butler, professor of finance; and Mikki Hebl, the Martha and Henry Malcolm Lovett Chair of Psychology in the School of Social Sciences. The award is given to faculty members who demonstrate a strong commitment to mentoring graduate or undergraduate students.
RETIREMENTS Associate Professor Emeritus of Marketing Randy Batsell (38 years)
Mary Gibbs Jones Professor Emeritus of Management Jennifer George (19 years)
Senior Lecturer in Communication David Tobin (11 years)
American Dreamer
MBA candidate Norma Torres Mendoza (Rice 2013) was named a fellow with the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, the first awarded to a Rice Business MBA. She was born in Queretaro, Mexico to a single mother who held three jobs to support her family. Norma and her mother were literally and figuratively hungry for a better life, one with an actual opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty that they were destined to experience. This ultimately led them to immigrate to Houston in the back of an 18-wheeler looking for the American Dream.
Growing up undocumented, however, Norma questioned the American Dream as she saw her Latinx friends on different trajectories. Some did not finish high school and others saw their dreams banished in the juvenile system. This was the impetus that led Norma to work
What is The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans? It’s a graduate school program for immigrants and children of immigrants. Selected from a pool of 1,766 applicants for their potential to make significant contributions to United States society, culture or their academic fields, the 2018 fellows are all the children of immigrants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, green card holders or naturalized citizens.
In addition to receiving up to $90,000 in funding for the graduate program of their choice, the new fellows join the prestigious community of recipients from past years, which includes individuals such as former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy; Fei-Fei Li, chief scientist of artificial intelligence and machine learning at GoogleCloud; Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib of Washington; composer Paola Prestini; award-winning writer Kao Kalia Yang, and nearly 600 other new American leaders. Founded by Hungarian immigrants, Daisy M. Soros and her late husband Paul Soros (1926-2013), The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program honors continuing generations of immigrant contributions to the United States. To read the full bios of the 2018 Fellows, visit www.pdsoros.org. for change in her community. At age 19, while a student at Rice, she co-founded the Young Owls Leadership Program, a non-profit that has raised over $250,000 and helped over 400 students in the Houston area become the first ones in their families to attend college. It was through this project that she discovered her love and passion to serve as a bridge to resources for non-profits through consulting work.
Norma has consulted for numerous non-profits, businesses and governmental agencies on their vision, expansion strategy, fundraising tactics and technology integrations. She also attended the Harvard Kennedy School and received a master’s in public policy. After business school, she hopes to launch a non-profit consulting firm that will explore big questions about how to create transformative social change. >
Pictured: team members Nadia Bollinger ’18, Abhilash Krishna ’19, David Bonem ’18, Joanna Nathan ’19 and Adrian Troemel ’18. (Not pictured: Peter Sanborn ‘19)
Happy Dance
In June, the AACSB International — The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) — announced that the Jones Graduate School of Business extended its accreditation in business and accounting. Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal focus, engagement with an AACSB-assigned mentor and peer-reviewed evaluation. Deans from Goizueta (Emory), Foisie (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) and UC Davis Graduate School of Management visited Rice Business to conduct interviews and make the final assessment.
Every business school participates in a five-year continuous improvement peer-review to maintain high quality and extend its accreditation. For over a century, AACSB Accreditation has been synonymous with the highest standards in business education and has been earned by only five percent of the world’s schools offering business degrees at the bachelor level or higher. Today, 816 institutions across 53 countries and territories have earned AACSB Accreditation.
Adventure Capital This past spring, Rice MBAs landed third out of 12 teams at the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) finals at UNC, behind BYU Marriott and UC Berkeley Haas. It is the first time for the business school to place. The team competed against 60 other teams worldwide in official regionals to make it to the finals. Shout out to Rice alum, Brian Hassin (’01 BA EE, ’02 MS CS), who generously spent two days with the team at UNC as their advisor.
SPEAK EASY As keynote at a State Bar Association annual conference, Adjunct Professor in Management Terry Hemeyer covered crisis strategies and today’s most troubling challenges and vulnerabilities facing academic, organizational and student issues at law schools. He also discussed individual and personal crisis leadership. The conference brought together deans and administrators of law schools in Texas.
>Students from 20 different Houston high schools gather on their first day of the Rice Summer Business Institute (in its 14th year). Over 90% of the students are on free and reduced lunch.
Allied Forces Men as Allies is the Forté Foundation’s Initiative designed to increase gender equality by showing men the unique challenges women face in the MBA classroom and in the business world. The new Men as Allies group at Rice Business is active and robust, including three faculty leads and participation in a panel discussion at the Women in Leadership Conference in February. > Men as Allies
Welcome to the Class
In late June, the first live session of the MBA@Rice program were held. The students in the inaugural cohort came from all over the U.S. to meet each other, learn about forming successful teams and complete their first assignment as Rice MBA students.
The hybrid delivery of the MBA degree has been a longtime goal of the university and is a novel complement to campus programs. Most significant, perhaps, is the fact that the program is reaching working professionals who would not be able to earn their Rice MBA without this option.
This first cohort is just the right mix to strengthen and deepen the programs.
Victoria Russ Hwa Hopkins, for example, is currently living in Houston but will be moving to South Korea in a few months to work on a military base as a physician. She received her B.A. and M.D. from Brown University and master’s degree in Public Health concentrating in international rural medicine from Harvard. She says she values the reputation of Rice Business and appreciates the innovation the MBA@Rice program brings to the table. (See page 20 for more on Victoria.) company. Since then, she has climbed the ranks and is one of only a few women in leadership in her workplace. Heather was drawn to Rice because of its passion for diversity. She knows being LGBT is accepted and championed here.
Adam Forness is a design engineer with TechnipFMC in their Subsea Drilling Services, and his boss is enrolled in the campus program. With a growing family and long work hours, he wants to be home for his kids as much as possible. MBA@Rice was the perfect match and his top choice.
In August, Dean Rodriguez held the first ever MBA@Rice online “partio” to welcome the new students. It’s exciting to get to know these leaders and their classmates.
Heather Price’s path was not a traditional one. She started in a community college before attending a four-year university, and during her final year, also worked full time at her current
26 81
35 STUDENTS % STUDENTS FROM TX ALSO FROM MICHIGAN, MASSACHUSETTS, OREGON AND OKLAHOMA
% WOMEN 7 YEARS AVERAGE WORK EXPERIENCE BY THE NUMBERS MBA@RICE
MBA@Rice student Adam Forness
INAUGURAL CONSORTIUM FELLOWS In June, our first cohort of Consortium Fellows gathered in Orlando, Florida for OP (orientation), their flagship event. Students met with companies and several already accepted internship offers. Hooray! Of our 14 fellows, 13 attended. (Number 14 is a dual MD/ MBA and had exams so he will attend next year). As a school, we are honored to be the 19th business school affiliated with The Consortium and its prestigious network. It demonstrates our commitment to diversity and inclusion but also helps diverse MBA candidates discover Rice Business. This furthers the organization’s mission to increase champions for diversity and the number of underrepresented minorities in business education and leadership. Learn more: cgsm.org >
>Some good to come out of the storm. “H is for Harvey,” a children’s book illustrated by Eduardo Martinez, our graphic designer in the Rice Business marketing department. All proceeds are donated to the Houston Astros Foundation.
Open enrollment programming has increased 236% compared to this time last year and 157% compared to the same time two years ago. Growth in custom program revenue increased 176% in one year.
Annual Custom Program Revenue Open Enrollment Revenue YTD
Executive Education Partnership Highlights • Contract with the Leadership Academy of Nepal and will be implementing our first collaborative Executive Education program in Kathmandu in late October.
• Collaboration with Hogan, the world’s leading personality assessment and leadership development organization, to coordinate an industry survey to assess best practices; generate three initial thought leadership pieces to be jointly published with Hogan and Rice faculty; integrate their assessment products into our portfolio to leverage Hogan’s reach in industry across the region; and plan a joint Hogan-Rice CHRO summit on cutting-edge leader development and employee engagement and retention practices.
• Houston Education Leadership Partners offers a nine-month program for campus and district leaders through Executive Education. In the program, teachers and school and district leaders earn a business certificate, positively contributing to their leadership development.
September 2016 Rice Business Wisdom was launched.
Let’s look at how far it has come in two years! 249
40 % 60% 110 articles published of the articles are based on peer-reviewed research of the articles are features, commentary, expert opinion and word watch newsletters sent out to over 6,000 people 5 cartoons on research have been produced RICE BUSINESS WISDOM RICE BUSINESS WISDOM: THE IDEAS MAGAZINE OF THE JONES GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT RICE UNIVERSITY WINTER 2018 CULTURE CLASH How will Amazon and Whole Foods work together? HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO Businesses need leaders who do the right thing. STORMNESIA: Houston’s fog is lifting GUILTY PLEASURES Are overeaters more likely to overspend?
Articles have appeared in the following publications: Gray Matters (Houston Chronicle), Houstonia, Houston Public Media, LA Times, Washington Post
MBA Students Compete for Cash in Rapid-Pitch Contests
The Rice Business Plan Competition is mentioned in this article about “sharktank” like business school competitions.
By Kelsey Gee April 4, 2018
The Tough-to-Treat Kid
Rice Business writer Jennifer Latson profiles a boy with oppositional defiant disorder and documents his family’s efforts to keep him from becoming an adult psychopath.
By Jennifer Latson September 4, 2018
The immigrant doctors who saved Ronald Reagan’s life
Rice Business editor Claudia Kolker explores the cost of immigration policies that would have kept out some of America’s top professionals.
By Claudia Kolker May 2, 2018 Shale boom is in the 3rd inning; investors to decide how game plays out
Professor Bill Arnold writes about the impact of investors on the oil and gas industry.
By Bill Arnold April 5, 2018
Saudi Aramco IPO appears to be a mirage in the desert — for now
By Bill Arnold August 27, 2018
Anonymous op-ed to fuel Trump’s volatility, paranoia and hostility
Tom Kolditz, the founding Director of the Ann and John Doerr Institute for New Leaders, shares his thoughts on what having dissenters within the White House means for the president’s ability to lead.
By Tom Kolditz September 9, 2018 The unequal effects of partisanship on brands
Professor Vikas Mittal comments on how companies may alienate key segments when they engage in corporate activism.
By Vikas Mittal, Ashwin Malshe and Shrihari Sridhar, March 26, 2018 Why we need to keep short-term insurance plans short
Professor Ken Janda discusses how allowing longer short-term insurance policies could make “real” insurance even more expensive.
By Ken Janda March 15, 2018
U.S.-Russia tensions trickle down to Houston
Professor Anastasiya Zavyalova shares her insights on how tensions between the U.S. and Russia affect the workforce.
By Florian Martin March 30, 2018
In the age of Amazon and Uber, more companies jump on bandwagon
Professor Scott Sonenshein comments on customer expectations and online shopping.
By Florian Martin July 12, 2018 Is the cost of “Hamilton” worth it?
Professor Utpal Dholakia shares his insights on why people are willing to pay for high-priced items.
By Jennifer Liebrum April 26, 2018
How do you know where your donations go during disasters?
Dean Peter Rodriguez’s research on corruption is cited.
By Jasmina Keleman June 11, 2018
The things we carried during Harvey
Rice Business editor Claudia Kolker muses on the importance of the items people grab when a disaster strikes.
By Claudia Kolker March 13, 2018
Investors extend $550,000 during Veterans Business Battle
Winners of the annual business plan competition for veterans-turned-entrepreneurs are announced.
By Andrea Leinfelder April 18, 2018 How MBA students can get more international experience
Senior Associate Dean Barbara Ostdiek discusses Rice Business’ global experience requirements.
By Courtney Rubin April 3, 2018
Please stop giving absolutely everything a standing ovation
Professor Constance Porter offers her thoughts on why people give standing ovations more freely these days.
By Clifford Pugh April 4, 2018
How firefighters and others take leaps of faith
Professor Erik Dane studied what makes high-risk professionals decide that their colleagues are worth trusting.
By Erik Dane August 1, 2018 Here’s how Houston graduate programs ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 lists
Rice Business’ MBA program rankings mentioned in this article about graduate programs around Houston.
By Jeff Jeffery and Jen Para, March 21, 2018
Swelling clout of US corporate giants is depressing pay, analysts say
Research from Professor Gustavo Grullon mentioned.
By Sam Fleming and Brooke Fox August 15, 2018
