Lavie Awarded Sloan Fellowship
Dovev Lavie, assistant professor of management, received a Sloan Industry Studies Fellowship by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the foundation announced Feb. 19. The fellowship is given to scholars that show exceptional promise in the early stages of their careers to contribute to the advancement of knowledge, as well as to U.S. industrial development and economic competitiveness. Each fellow receives a grant of $45,000 for a two-year period, administered by his or her institution. 

Graduate Business Council Selects
14 Top Teachers for Applause Awards
Each semester the Graduate Business Council hands out its Applause awards to honor the full-time MBA students’ favorite teachers. The latest winners, announced Feb. 21, are: Michael Clement, John Doggett, James Fredrickson, Greg Hallman, Eric Hirst, Lisa Koonce, Sandy Leeds, Kyle Lewis, Kate Mackie, Rueben McDaniel, James Nolen, Robert Parrino, Gaylen Paulson and Kevin Williams.

Marketing Meeting to Focus on Launch of New Customer Insight Center
The 2007 Department of Marketing’s Advisory Board Meeting Feb. 23 will center on the launch of the Center for Customer Insight and Marketing Solutions (CCIMS), which was previously known as the Center for Customer Insight. The topic of “sustainability” has been chosen as an initial area of study for CCIMS because of a heightened interest in the topic from students, marketers and corporations, and because of a lack of focus by other top business schools on the marketing/branding implications of a corporate sustainability strategy. The meeting will be held this Friday in the Legacy Room. For information on attending or for a complete agenda of the day’s events, contact Erikka Benaway.

Paul Albrecht, Mark Rogers, Haley Robison, Dietrich Schmidt

McCombs Defends Title at
International Case Competition
For the second consecutive year, a team of McCombs undergrads took first place at the Marshall International Case Competition at USC. “The biggest takeaway for me is branding Texas as an international juggernaut when it comes to our business school and our university,” said Mark Rogers, a BHP finance senior. “Texas is a team that should be revered, as we have won four world championships for McCombs in the last year alone. Being able to perpetuate that feeling of, ‘Uh oh, Texas just walked in … I sure hope they aren’t in our bracket for the competition,’ is what has driven me to excel for the past few years in the international arena.”
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In the News: Equity Office Property’s Status a Source of Speculation
National Real Estate Investor, Feb. 15, 2007
Equity Office Property Trust’s packed portfolio was the recent source of struggle in the biggest buyout in American real-estate history. The Blackstone Group conquered the competition to take over EOP, causing market observers to question how Blackstone will deal with EOP’s assets. “I would be surprised if [EOP] stays independent,” said Jay Hartzell, associate finance professor and associate director of the Real Estate Finance & Investment Center at McCombs. “As a portfolio manager, it wouldn’t make much sense to leave this as a stand-alone. You would want to integrate all you could with whatever other assets you were considering holding.”
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In the News: Thanairongroj’s MBA Journal Emphasizes Involvement and Balance
BusinessWeek Online, Feb. 7, 2007
In the third installment of his MBA Journal for BusinessWeek Online, David Thanairongroj, MBA ’08, gives prospective MBA students advice on balancing school, sports and socializing. With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer engineering, Thanairongroj started two businesses in 2003. He enrolled at McCombs to take his software engineering company to the next level. “I'm beginning to find that balance between work and play and continuing to make the most out of my business school experience,” Thanairongroj writes. “I would like to graduate knowing that I challenged myself in every way possible, shared my experiences, learned from my classmates, gave back to my school and community, and made a few long-lasting friendships.”
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Read Thanairongroj’s first MBA journal.
Read Thanairongroj’s second MBA journal.

McCombs School Job Postings:

• Senior Placement Representative, Undergraduate Programs Office
• Student Financial Aid Officer I, MBA Program Office
• Systems Analyst, Computer Services
• Development Associate, Office of Resource Development

See past issues of McCombs Weekly.

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