Media: Saying No to Tobacco Money by George Gau
BusinessWeek.com, Feb. 10, 2008

Dean George Gau recently contributed a column for BusinessWeek.com about the decision to stop accepting money from tobacco firms. Excerpt: "Was this a difficult decision? We certainly knew it would be controversial as well as unprecedented for an American business school. However, after careful deliberation, it was a decision we believed was right for our school and our students. This is not to say we did not fully consider all the arguments against instituting this policy. The most prominent argument is the "slippery slope" one. What will be next? Banning donations from fast-food companies? From alcohol companies? For me, this argument doesn't hold up. It is evident that tobacco has been a unique product in American history, and extensive research has shown it is highly addictive and harmful. While there are other legal products that can be misused by some, such as alcohol, tobacco is different in that it is damaging no matter how it's used.”
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Faculty Excellence Honored

The Undergraduate Business Council and the Undergraduate Programs Office celebrated eight McCombs faculty members Feb. 12 at this semester's Faculty Honor Roll ceremony. To make the honor roll, faculty must garner exceptionally high marks on student-completed surveys. IROM senior lecturer Dean Bredeson received the highest overall rating and was given a $1,000 award donated by Lockheed Martin. The other honorees were: Robert Duvic, distinguished senior lecturer in finance; Brian Lendecky, accounting lecturer; Kristie Loescher, management lecturer; Lillian Mills, associate accounting professor; Gretchen Charrier, accounting lecturer; Gail Gemberling (right), IROM senior lecturer; and Paul Newman, accounting professor. Congratulations!

Hirshberg: Stonyfield Blends Making Money with Saving the Planet

Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm, spoke Feb. 8 at the McCombs Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Speaker Series. With Stonyfield Farm, Hirshberg shattered the myth that environmental concerns and economics can't mix. Stonyfield's net margins are stronger than competitor Dannon's and equal to Yoplait's, Hirshberg said. "What I am telling you about is not philosophy or the ravings of a child of the '60s, but that this really works," he said.
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Executive Education: Rackspace Leadership Development Program

Managers and high-potential employees from Rackspace have been attending a leadership program with Executive Education this week. Rackspace, ranked No. 32 in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” is a leading provider of IT hosting services. The company has more than 14,000 customers in eight data centers and 2,000 employees, or “Rackers,” around the world. This week’s program is the first part of a three-week series with the next two sessions in May and August 2008. McCombs faculty teaching this program include Jim Fredrickson (right), management professor, and Tim Ruefli, IROM professor.

Media: Konana Discusses Culture, Economic Progress in India

In addition to his teaching and research for the IROM Department, Professor Prabhudev Konana is sought after for his astute insights into the rapidly changing economic and cultural conditions in India. In a recent radio interview on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Konana discussed the differences between Americans and Indians on housing and money. "Indians to a large extent are risk-averse," Konana said. "They don't like to take on debt. That's a very fundamental cultural trait. Indians are not very mobile. They build a house and its meant to be an ancestral home—it goes on for hundreds of years. Unlike the U.S. which is a mobile society." Konana also writes a regular column for The Hindu newspaper, where he discusses contemporary issues in India. His latest column is titled, "Of technology, efficiencies, and human dignity."
Listen to CBC program (Real Player).
Read Konana's latest column.

McCombs Doctoral Student Wins $25,000 Grant from Deloitte

Michael Crawley, an accounting doctoral candidate at McCombs, was recently one of the 10 scholars nationwide to receive the Deloitte Foundation's 2008 Doctoral Fellowship Program grant. Each of the Deloitte Foundation Doctoral Fellows will receive $5,000 during his or her final year of course work and $20,000 during the subsequent year of completing a dissertation.