Mays Impacts

Mays student Seth McKinney, the starting center on the Texas A&M football team, has been named a first-team Verizon Academic All-American as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). McKinney has already earned his bachelor’s degree in information and operations management and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in the same field of study.

McKinney, who posted a 3.73 grade point average as an undergraduate, made his 50th consecutive start at center for the Aggie football team at the recent Galleryfurniture.com Bowl. To be nominated for the honor, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his career.

To read more about Seth, check out his Life Stories feature in the September issue.

It’s probably fair to say that most doctoral students are ecstatic when they complete their dissertations. Assistant Management Professor Dr. Wendy Boswell has reason to be even more excited.

The 2000 Cornell University graduate recently received honorable mention in the Industrial Relations Research Association’s 2001 Best Dissertation Competition. Boswell’s dissertation, “Aligning Employees with the Organization’s Strategic Objectives: Out of ‘Line of Sight,’ Out of Mind,” contributes to the emerging debate regarding employee engagement with the strategic goals of the organization.

The Texas Business Hall of Fame recently recognized second-year MBA student Dustin Stanton for his performance in the classroom. He was among 20 MBA students from across the state that received the annual scholarship award.

According to MBA Program Director Dr. Dan Robertson, it’s no surprise that Stanton was honored by the Hall of Fame. “Dustin has that rare combination that I wish all our MBA students had,” says Robertson, who nominated Stanton for the award. “He’s incredibly gifted academically, but also has the interpersonal skills and gives back to the MBA program.”

Stanton, who graduated with a bachelor’s in agriculture economics from Oklahoma State, worked at John Deere Company prior to attending the Mays College.

Advising students, assisting with projects and events, overseeing incoming and outgoing money. Welcome to the lives of several staff members in the Mays College. Faculty and students no doubt play center stage in a university setting. But, it’s the dedicated staff members keep things running (and keep people paid).

For four Mays staff members, that’s clearly the case. The college recently recognized these women for their exemplary service at its annual staff awards.

Those honored include Holly Clark, Center for Retailing Studies; Kristi Mora, Department of Management; Claudia Orum, Center for International Business Studies; and Jody Trenckmann, Department of Marketing.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients!

Dr. Dan Robertson, Mays MBA Program director and marketing professor, was recently honored by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents for his dedicated service to the university. He was named a 2000-2001 Regents Professor, which is among the highest honors given by the board.

Also known as Dr. Dan, Robertson joined the Mays College in 1981 and has since held numerous administrative positions both within the college and university. In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate marketing courses, he has also served as faculty advisor to various student groups, including the MBA Association, Pi Sigma Epsilon and the Graduate Student Council.

Mays students know that solving problems quickly and effectively is fundamental to success in today’s competitive marketplace. And, at the annual Center for the Management of Information Systems (CMIS) case competition, they put their abilities to the test.

The contest required students to solve an actual case that had been analyzed by ENFORM Technology. With only one week to develop a solution, the competing teams fine tuned their research and faced a stringent selection process judged by senior IT executives. Winners were selected from a pool of 25 undergraduate teams and five graduate teams. Each winning member received scholarships up to $400 and ExxonMobil gas cards.

The undergraduate team taking home top honors included senior information and operations management students Christine Lochte, Jennifer Boyer, Jenny Howard and Stephanie Lewis. Members of the winning graduate team were Jason Davis, Steve Schrib, Leslie Adkins and Matthew Edge.

“The case competition was a great learning experience for them and a wonderful way to expand job networking,” says CMIS Director Dr. George Fowler. “Our goal [at CMIS] is to enhance the education of students to give them great experience. I think this competition met all expectations.”

Sy Sternberg, chairman, president and CEO of New York Life Insurance Company spoke to Mays MBAs about the (some times) counterintuitive philosophy of the 156-year-old, Fortune 100 company he leads. He also discussed the events of September 11 and how New York Life responded that day. Sterberg shared his strategies in opening New York Life in international markets, as well as the importance of adhering to company values in every decision.