September 26, 2001
McCombs School Loses Leader and Long-Time Finance Professor Conrad Doenges
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Austin, TX—R. Conrad Doenges, a McCombs School professor emeritus and former associate dean, passed away Friday, September 14, following an extended hospitalization. Professor Doenges had a long and distinguished career at the University of Texas at Austin that spanned 35 years and influenced thousands of students.
“Conrad’s commitment to students, the Business School, and the University over such an extended period of time has been rarely achieved in the history of the school,” said Urton Anderson, associate dean for undergraduate programs at the McCombs School and Doenges’ successor. “Perhaps his greatest legacy will be his role in the administrative management of the school—he holds the distinction of being the only person to have served as associate dean of both the graduate and undergraduate programs.”
Doenges joined the business faculty in 1964 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 1974. He served as the associate dean for the Graduate School of Business (1972-1976), Finance Department chair (1976-1980), and associate dean for undergraduate programs (1987-1996). Among many academic distinctions, Doenges served as executive editor of the Journal of Financial Research (1978-82) and associate editor of The Social Science Quarterly (1966-1974). Doenges also held leadership posts in the primary professional associations in finance education, including the Financial Management Association (director, 1973-74 and 1979-81), and the Southwestern Finance Association (president 1973-74).
In 1983, he was named the Arthur Andersen & Co. Alumni Centennial Professor in Finance, and held that title (emeritus) until his death. At the time of his retirement from the McCombs School in May 2000, Doenges was the second oldest faculty member still actively teaching in the School, and the faculty member with the longest history of service.
During his long tenure at the School, he received numerous teaching awards, including Alpha Kappa Psi Outstanding Professor (1996) and The Eyes of Texas Excellence Award (1991).
Through Doenges’ leadership and vision over 10 years as associate dean of the undergraduate program, he was able to transform an unruly giant into a program that currently ranks 5th in the country among undergraduate programs of business. In 1989, the School established an award in Dr. Doenges honor that is given to the most outstanding graduate of the Business Honors Program each year.
“As remarkable as Dr. Doenges’ accomplishments were, the most impressive thing about him was the integrity and dignity with which he conducted business,” said Assistant Dean Arthur Allert who worked with Doenges for many years. “For those of us who were fortunate to work with him, he left a lifelong impact on how to treat people. By his example, he made you want to be a better person.”
“He was a remarkable leader who inspired commitment and loyalty among those who worked with him,” agreed Dean Robert May. “He also personified the excellence and fairness of the University to the literally thousands of students, parents, alumni, faculty, and corporate representatives with whom he interacted over the years. I could always count on Conrad to come up with solutions that were right for preserving our standards and equitable for the students as well. It is hard to imagine a more important characteristic in an academic program leader. We have lost a great colleague.”
Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Doenges earned an MBA from Harvard University in 1954 and a PhD from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1965.
Professor Doenges is survived by his wife, Ellen Gummere Doenges, and three sons, Curt (UT MBA ‘95), John (current UT MBA student), and Will (UT BA - History ‘97).
A memorial service will be held Thursday, September 20th at 4:00 p.m. at Tarrytown Methodist Church in Austin, with internment to occur in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the McCombs School of Business. Contributions can be made to the University of Texas at Austin, noted in memory of Conrad Doenges, and mailed to Sandy Dorman, Director of Individual Giving and Endowments, Resource Development, GSB 5.176, McCombs School of Business, UT-Austin, 78712.
For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
