Mays Impacts

The West Campus Library will soon focus solely on the needs of Mays Business School, allowing Mays faculty and students to enjoy greater access to research and support materials.

Since opening, the West Campus Library has served Mays as well as the agriculture and life sciences departments, which are also housed on West Campus. Due to significant disparity between disciplines, this arrangement has prevented both groups from receiving optimal service, according to Michael Smith, West Campus Library’s interim director.

In an effort to improve service for both parties, resources and library staff that were dedicated to agriculture and life sciences will be relocated to the nearby Medical Sciences Library.

“The primary difference that students and faculty will notice is that there will be more room in the R.C. Barclay Reference and Retailing Center for business reference material,” Smith says, adding a set date for the transition process has not been established yet. “Additionally, our customers will also now be assured that the staff member helping them at our reference desk is a business generalist/specialist. Beyond these two outward changes, it is our intention to strengthen our relationship with Mays and to develop programs that directly support its mission.”

Smith emphasizes that even though changes will be made, all Texas A&M students, regardless of academic discipline, are welcome to use the library’s reference and computer resources and study spaces.

Communicators in Mays’ Office of the Dean were honored at the recent Counsel for the Advancement and Support of Education, Region IV District Conference in Houston. Pam Wiley, Lara Zuehlke and Dean Jerry Strawser received an Award of Excellence in the institutional identity programs category for “Mays Business School Brand Initiative.”

Zuehlke and Wiley were also honored at the International Association of Business Communicators’ Brazos Bravo Awards with an Award of Merit for the 2003 issue of @Mays, Mays Business School’s annual print magazine.

Bringing home top honors, a Brazos Bravo Award, at the annual ceremony were Robert Beals and J.P. Beato with the Real Estate Center (REC) for their photograph, “Living With Mold.” They also received two Awards of Excellence in design for the center’s annual report/calendar and magazine, Tierra Grande. The REC staff also won an Award of Merit in the magazine category for Tierra Grande.

REC’s Nancy McQuistion received an Award of Excellence in the writing category for her story, “Why Use a Real Estate Professional?,” while Randy Birdwell won an Award of Merit in the audiovisual category.

Two Mays doctoral students have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to teaching and research.

Michael Kroff, a marketing PhD student, is a recipient of the 2004 Association of Former Students’ Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award. Each year, The Association honors graduate students for both teaching and research. Recipients are given a framed certificate and $500.

While at Mays, Kroff has taught courses in buyer behavior and advertising and has assisted with student advising. He is a past recipient of the Department of Marketing Doctoral Student Teaching Excellence Award and the Mays Business School Doctoral Student Teaching Excellence Award.

Also, Dan Li, a management PhD student, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Mays Distinguished Achievement Award in Doctoral Studies.

Li’s research interests include the management of multi-national enterprises, entrepreneurship and social network analysis. She has published or had accepted for publication three scholarly journal articles, two scholarly book chapters and three refereed conference proceedings. Li has also taught courses in international business and strategic management.

Drag racer and Mays sophomore Erica Enders won her first national event trophy, a bronze “Wally,” at the 17th Annual O’Reilly National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Spring Nationals in Baytown.

The Houston native competed in the super gas class and edged out her best friend and fellow Aggie Jonathan Johnson, a sophomore environmental design major. Beginning her career in drag racing at the age of eight in the NHRA Junior Dragsters, Enders has accumulated 37 wins, has been named Driver of the Year, won five championship titles and was inducted into the NHRA Museum.

At 16, Enders began competing in the professional class and was the youngest NHRA National Event finalist. She continues to prove herself a worthy contender. Enders’ success in the NHRA was the inspiration for the Disney Channel’s original movie, “Right on Track,” which depicts Enders from her humble beginnings to the NHRA championship limelight.

For more information on Enders, read the profile, “Racing to the Future,” from the June/July 2003 issue of Mays Business Online.

Assistant Professor of Management Wendy Boswell’s article, “Experiencing Mistreatment at Work: The Role of Grievance Filing, Nature of Mistreatment, and Employee Withdrawal,” has been published in the most recent issue of the Academy of Management Journal.

The study found that employees who felt they had been mistreated at work reported higher intent to quit the organization and perform more job search activity. Whether or not the employee grieved the mistreatment had no effect; it was feeling mistreated that mattered.

Boswell says the results of the study are both positive and negative. “This is semi-good news for grievance systems,” she says. “On the one hand, it doesn’t appear that people are adversely affected by filing a grievance; that is, they aren’t punished for it. On the other hand, such systems are meant to help people address mistreatment at work, yet we only found a ‘neutral role.’ So the question remains as to why such systems do not mitigate the experience of mistreatment in practice.”

Mays student Jack Hildebrand ’05, a senior accounting major from Abilene, has been elected Texas A&M’s student body president for the 2004-2005 school year.

A member of Fellows Group XXII, Hildebrand served on the Student Government Association Executive Council during 2003-2004 as vice president of finance. He has been active in several student organizations including Fish Camp, CARPOOL and Ol’ Army Gentlemen’s Society. He has also served as a co-chair of Fish Aides.

Hildebrand will succeed Matt Josefy, a senior accounting major from Midland. Josefy says his time in office has brought him many opportunities for which he is grateful. “It’s been a year that has seen the opening of a branch campus in Qatar, an increase in the number of students attending forums, strides forward in the area of mentorship and so many other things,” Josefy says.

Jim Carreker, chief executive officer and chairman of The Bombay Company, received the 2004 M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award. Presented annually, the M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Lecture Series and Award highlights the role of innovative merchandising in the success of retail businesses, while honoring M.B. Zale’s outstanding achievements in merchandising.

Throughout Carreker’s career, he has created a legacy of visionary leadership in retailing. In 2002, he came out of retirement to accept the position of CEO and chairman of The Bombay Company.

When asked why, Carreker said, “I was looking for what I wanted to do and liked retail because in it, change occurs so fast. In retail there is no given. Just because you did well last month, does not mean you will this month. In retail, you must constantly change. In this fast-paced, competitive environment, it does not take long to make a difference.”

Carreker has already directed major change at Bombay. Under his leadership, the company has been repositioned and re-energized, with a total market cap increasing 400 percent during the first nine months of his tenure.

“The most important thing is to know your customer,” Carreker told the audience at the award ceremony, “and never underestimate his or her intelligence.”

The Association of Former Students honored two Mays faculty with Distinguished Achievement Awards, which is the highest university-wide recognition faculty members can receive.

Lamar Savings Professor of Finance Arvind Mahajan received a Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching. Inspired by his father, who was also a professor, Mahajan says he has never regretted his decision pursue a career in academics rather than in the private sector.

“Ultimately, teaching is all about students and what you can contribute to their futures,” he explains. “In general, Aggies are bright, enthusiastic, motivated and hard working, and I have derived a lot of pleasure and fulfillment from seeing my students get to the next level and eventually succeed in life.”

Mahajan, who joined Mays 1980, also serves as the associate director for the Center for International Business Studies. He earned his MBA from the University of Scranton and his PhD from Georgia State University.

In addition, Arthur Andersen & Co. Former Students Professor and Accounting Department Head James Benjamin received the Distinguished Achievement Award for Administration. After joining Mays in 1974, Benjamin was promoted to department head in 1982.

During his tenure, Benjamin has overseen the incredible growth and success of the department’s Professional Program as well as significant increases in the department’s endowment. He acknowledges it is unusual to stay in an administrative job at one school for such an extended period. Yet, Benjamin explains he has no regrets looking back because his goal has always been, and continues to be, to foster change and support faculty and students with high aspirations.

“It is certainly the most significant award that I have received in my career,” says Benjamin, who received a DBA and MBA from Indiana University. “I have always valued The Association’s awards because they represent recognition from the many former students of the university, and the limited number of annual awards are particularly notable given the size of the Texas A&M faculty.”

Distinguished Achievement Award winners receive a $4,000 cash award, an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque.