2017
Annual Report
The
Foundation Has Been Laid
To the employees and leadership at Southwest Airlines, On behalf of the University of Dallas, thank you for a wonderful first year of partnership. We’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work with an organization dedicated to growing its employees and the community. From welcoming your employees into our classrooms to supporting student scholarships and community initiatives together, it has been a productive year, and we’re proud to be your partner in these efforts. As we continue our journey as partners, let’s admire what we’ve accomplished together in our first year. I, along with my colleagues at the University of Dallas, take great pride in serving alongside the Southwest Airlines team. We conclude our first year together optimistically and look forward to the potential that lies ahead in the new year. We’re confident that together, our partnership will help foster continued success for both Southwest and UD. Our work this past year will be a solid platform for continuing to develop our relationship, preparing students and employees for the future, and lifting one another up in our pursuit of excellence.
Benjamin Gibbs Associate Director of Corporate Relations & Partnerships & Major Initiatives
A Journey Begins
Our Partnership by the Numbers
As our partnership blossoms, we can begin to explore new and innovative strategies that are mutually beneficial. The University of Dallas offers a variety of strategies that enables you to get the most out of our partnership based upon your priorities. Each piece of the partnership — whether it’s talent development, consulting and research, Executives on Campus, recruiting and internships, or corporate social responsibility — opens a new world of possibility for personal and professional growth.
30+
$67,500
Southwest Airlines employees who are
in tuition by Southwest Airlines employees through the partnership scholarship
9
985
alumni of the University of Dallas
Talent Development
enrolled
students within the first year of the partnership
Corporate Social Responsibility
The University of Dallas
visited
Southwest employees the Southwest/University of Dallas
partnership webpage
Consulting & Research
Corporate Partnership
3
2
guest lecturers from
recruiter visits to
Southwest Airlines spoke at the University of Dallas
Internships & Recruitment
saved
Executives on Campus
the University of Dallas campus for
future employees
“ My UD education allowed me to consider challenges and situations from multiple angles and within proper context. It also taught me how to question and seek answers.”
Partnership
Highlights
Victoria Williamson BA ’13 MA ’14 Scrum Master
JAN. 10, 2017
MARCH 2, 2016 Julie Weber, BA ’91, is featured in Executives on Campus, a University of Dallas initiative to incorporate the perspectives of experienced executive leaders in the Dallas area into our classrooms.
UD alumnus Tom Nealon, MBA ’87, is named president of Southwest Airlines.
MARCH 21, 2017 APRIL 10, 2017
Southwest Airlines and the University of Dallas establish a partnership.
Southwest donates flights to raise scholarship funds during the Galecke Open.
OCT. 26, 2017 JAN. 26, 2018 Tom Nealon is inducted into the Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame.
Managing Director of Marketing Bill Tierney comes to speak to Associate Professor of Marketing Laura Munoz’s digital marketing class.
Lessons from a Leader As president of Southwest Airlines, the influence of Tom Nealon, MBA ’87, extends across all areas of the company — from overseeing much of the airline’s daily operations to advancing the corporate strategy and mission. A graduate of the University of Dallas Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business, Nealon draws on the balance of business, leadership and ethical principles that is the foundation of his MBA to lead the organization forward. “The University of Dallas and I intersected at a really formative time in my life and career,” says Nealon. “One of the things that the University of Dallas opened up for me was a much broader, more panoramic view of the business world.” A thoughtful and articulate voice on the subject, Nealon shares his vision of the five most important characteristics of leaders. 1. Humility As a leader, your team needs to know that you’re willing to work together and support them. “I think humility is a big deal. A humble leader, to me, is someone who actually learns from and listens to other people,” says Nealon. “From my experience, I’ve never wanted to work for an arrogant person. That type of leader will sell themselves and their team short.” True humility is not just how you treat others, but it’s also how you think about yourself and those around you. Nealon suggests asking yourself, “Do I always view myself as the smartest person in the room? Am I listening to others?” If your team believes that you’re taking the time to listen to them and making decisions that will benefit all of them, they’ll have a great deal of respect for you. 2. Love of People Successful leaders commonly exhibit a love of or care for people. Take a genuine interest in seeing your team succeed and grow personally, as well as professionally.
“As a leader, you have to really care about people,” says Nealon. “And it’s not that you have to know every person's name, but there has to be a courtesy toward — and a genuine interest in — the people in your organization.” For example, Southwest Airlines has developed a culture around a love for people. From their stock ticker to their corporate vision to how they feel about your bags, Southwest has been a brand built on “LUV.” 3. Courage Sometimes the right decision is not always the most popular one. It takes a courageous leader to put a vision into action. “When you’re in a leadership role, there are going to be hard things you have to do and hard decisions you have to make, so a leader must be courageous,” says Nealon. Be bold. Envision a better solution and a better product, and approach it with enthusiasm and determination. Communicate with your team frequently, and embrace the open-door policy. Your team will champion your efforts and become your biggest advocates. 4. Perseverance A goal worth achieving will never be easily obtained, and challenges during your leadership journey are inevitable. Having the perseverance to push through these objections and obstacles will be key. Courage is also a big part of perseverance. As Nealon says, “Hard things require perseverance, and leaders have to show by example the courage to keep working through the hard things because big things that are important are typically hard.” 5. Patience Take the time to appreciate the opinions and ideas of your team. Practicing patience means that you are more compassionate and open-minded, as well as willing and able to manage any circumstance. As a veteran leader, Nealon reminds us, “Leaders have to have patience. There may be things that you would do one way, but you may have a team of younger leaders doing it another way — and by the way, their way may be better. So you’ve got to have a sense of patience.” Listen, ask questions and approach challenges together with an open mind.
“ One of the things that the University of Dallas opened up for me was a much broader, more panoramic view of the business world—from supply chain to marketing.” Tom Nealon
MBA ’87 President, Southwest Airlines
A Word From Our Students and Alumni Victoria Williamson BA ’13 (Psychology) MA ’14 (Psychology) | Scrum Master What do you value most about Southwest as an organization?
Our Time for
Reflection GOALS FOR 2018-19 1
Provide further educational opportunities for
2
Use our resources in a collaborative manner to
3
Facilitate continued opportunities for Southwest
Southwest employees and families. benefit our shared community. leadership to influence UD students.
I really value SWA’s belief in human dignity, a trait I came to value during my time at UD. SWA’s belief, of course, affects customer service. But it also means SWA trusts and invests in its employees. Everything, from the culture to the benefits plan, is built around this core belief. All of the leaders I’ve met believe their employees are intelligent, capable people who do not require constant scrutiny. The belief that people inherently matter leads to legendary customer service, but also to employees who feel valued and appreciated.
How has your education at UD positively impacted the work you do for Southwest? My UD education allowed me to consider challenges and situations from multiple angles and within proper context. It also taught me how to question and seek answers. I’m never satisfied with “That’s just the way things are.” These skills are invaluable to my work. Of course, I need to write cogently and persuasively, conduct research and produce quality work, which UD certainly prepared me for. But being able to question and seek better answers underlies all other abilities.
Sean Pham MS ’19 (Information & Technology Management) | Senior Systems Engineer What do you value most about Southwest as an organization? Southwest is the first company in my professional experience that has a genuine desire to grow its employees. In previous engagements before Southwest, I was generally on my own with my career development. While other companies have tuition reimbursement, Southwest goes above and beyond my expectation. For instance, applying for tuition reimbursement starts a chain reaction of multiple meetings with management and my Human Development adviser to understand my ambition and lead me in the correct direction. Additionally, I was given recommended material outside of UD and Southwest. An execution and monitoring plan was put into motion. Southwest is with me on my educational journey and will continue to be for a long time.
How has your education at UD positively impacted the work you do for Southwest? The UD classroom situation experience is similar to the corporate office. You are constantly learning on the job and exposed to information and problem solving that no one has seen or experienced before. The UD classroom grows the skills to think, adjust and innovate quickly and concisely. I do not know of any other situation more impactful to an employee’s future than through normal higher education classwork.
Julie Weber BA ’91 (Psychology) | UD Trustee & VP of People at Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines is known for its culture — we really believe that happy employees make for happy customers, which makes for happy shareholders. Southwest’s purpose is to connect people with what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable and low-cost travel. With the work that I do, I’m able to connect people in the community with job opportunities at a company with an incredible culture that puts its people first and allows them to make a difference in the lives of others. We say at Southwest that it’s not just a career, it’s a cause.
Office of Advancement 1845 E. Northgate Dr. Irving, Texas 75062
www.udallas.edu
Discover more. To learn about new ways to grow our partnership, contact:
Benjamin Gibbs Associate Director of Corporate Relations & Partnerships & Major Initiatives 972-721-4139 bgibbs@udallas.edu