The Texas A&M University Financial Management Association chapter earned the FMA Gold Membership Development Award for the 2003-2004 academic year. Given to less than 7 percent of chapters worldwide, the award honors those demonstrating excellence in the recruitment of 100 or more new student members. In addition to the Gold Membership Development Award, the A&M chapter garnered the FMA Superior Chapter Award for 2003-2004.

For the past 50 years, Mays’ Center for Executive Development (CED) has provided training and education for business executives. But now it is also assisting Mays students and scholars in their educational endeavors.

The center will provide $110,000 in scholarship and fellowship support for the coming year. The gift benefits graduate students with two $15,000 PhD fellowships, two $15,000 MBA fellowships and one $7,500 MS fellowship. At the undergraduate level, the fund supports five $5,500 departmental scholarships. In addition, the CED will support a Mays faculty member through a $15,000 faculty fellowship.

Mays Management Professor Richard W. Woodman has accepted the editorship of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, a leading international journal on the effects of evolutionary and planned change.

Woodman teaches organizational behavior, organization development and research methodology. His research interests focus on organizational change and organizational creativity. His published work can be found in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Creative Behavior and the Organization Development Journal, among others.

Several Mays faculty members were recently honored for outstanding teaching. Earning The Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award were: John Groth, professor of finance; Lisa Hubacek,clinical assistant professor of management; and Stephen McDaniel, professor of marketing.

For the second year, Mary Lea McAnally, associate professor of accounting, was voted by Mays MBA students as the recipient of the MBA Association Distinguished Core Faculty Award.

Groth was also honored with the Executive MBA Faculty Recognition Award, which is voted on by members of class IV.

Several Mays faculty members were recently honored for outstanding teaching. Earning The Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award were: John Groth, professor of finance; Lisa Hubacek,clinical assistant professor of management; and Stephen McDaniel, professor of marketing.

For the second year, Mary Lea McAnally, associate professor of accounting, was voted by Mays MBA students as the recipient of the MBA Association Distinguished Core Faculty Award.

Groth was also honored with the Executive MBA Faculty Recognition Award, which is voted on by members of class IV.

Former Mays student Lupe Fraga ’57 won the prestigious Hispanic Business Man of the Year for Region III Award presented by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC).

After earning his BBA in accounting in 1957, Fraga purchased an office supply store in Houston and renamed it Tejas Office Products. More than 40 years later, Fraga serves as president and chief executive officer of one of Houston’s largest minority-owned businesses. Fraga also serves as board chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Houston Branch and serves on the boards of the Greater Houston Partnership and the Houston YMCA. In 2003, he received a Mays Business School Outstanding Alumni Award.

The Texas A&M University HUB Program nominated Fraga for the USHCC award, as Tejas Office Products is the second largest minority supplier for Texas A&M.

The Mays MBA Program came in 31st overall and 13th among public schools in the Wall Street Journal’s2004 regional rankings. Last year, Mays placed 47th overall and 16th among public schools.

Unlike in previous years, however, the Wall Street Journal changed its ranking system to reflect differences in MBA recruiting. The publication divided the 71 programs into three categories — placing schools into national, regional and international groups. The Journal characterized the 44 schools in the regional category, in which Mays placed, as smaller programs that attract recruiters from their local regions, focusing on candidates for financial, marketing, sales and operations positions.

While the categories were revamped, the Journal’s methodology retained many of the elements utilized in previous rankings. This year’s survey polled 2,849 MBA recruiters, assessing their perceptions of the schools and students on 20 key attributes, ranging from teamwork skills and leadership potential to interpersonal qualities and the school’s “mass appeal.”

“Since this particular ranking focuses on recruiter perceptions of students, the results indicate Mays MBAs are highly valued by recruiters,” says Director Carroll Scherer. “The Mays MBA Program strives to continually improve the preparedness of its students to compete in business, as well as to network and interview effectively. We feel that these efforts will continue to pay off for Mays MBAs, as recruiters seek the most qualified MBAs available in the marketplace.”

For more information on the Wall Street Journal rankings, visit www.wsj.com.

Fred ’82 and Susan Caldwell ’82 have donated a $50,000 gift to permanently establish the Wayne Etter Real Estate Excellence Fund.

As a lecturer at Mays for almost 34 years, Etter has impacted many students’ lives, including the Caldwells — who both earned degrees from Mays in 1982. Fred earned a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in finance, while Susan earned a bachelor’s in marketing.

“We wanted to recognize Dr. Etter for his care, concern, and interest in students — not just in their academic studies but in their lives,” says Fred Caldwell, president of Caldwell Watson Real Estate Group. “Susan and I feel that he exemplifies the very best in teaching.”

Etter is the advisor for the Department of Finance’s Land Economics and Real Estate program and a former recipient of Mays’ Outstanding Teaching Award and Outstanding Service Award.

Debbie and Mike Houx ’73 of Albuquerque, New Mexico have established the Debbie and Mike Houx ’73 Learning Endowment. The $250,000 fund may be used in all areas of Mays’ programs. But the Houxes particularly want the fund to support entrepreneurship, helping students get the tools needed to succeed — from one entrepreneur to another.

“It is a privilege, as well as a timely opportunity, to be a part of the momentum that continues to grow at Mays Business School,” says Mike Houx, president and dealer-operator of Sandia Automotive Corp. in New Mexico. “Debbie and I will always value our contribution to Mays Business School as a mutual commitment representing our appreciation of how Texas A&M has touched our lives.”

Since graduating from Mays in 1973 with a BBA in management, Houx has been involved in the automotive sales industry. He also plays an active role in his community, including serving on the board of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation. He was also a charter board member of the Albuquerque Texas A&M Club and was Aggie Muster chairman in 2000 and 2003.

To anyone who has interacted with Dr. Ben Welch, it is probably no surprise that Texas Monthly named his Management 105 course as one of the two best classes to take at Texas A&M. Texas Monthly’sinaugural 2004 College Guide ranked the best and worst at Texas institutions.

Welch has taught the Management 105 course for many semesters, providing both Mays students and non-business majors an introduction to business issues.

“I am humbled by it,” says Welch, the director of the Center for Executive Development and senior lecturer for the Department of Management. “There are so many other deserving classes. I really approach (the class) in a pragmatic way because I believe that education should be fun.”

Welch is well loved by his students, evidenced by the numerous honors and awards he has amassed over the years. He was honored as a namesake for both Fish Camp and T-Camp and was selected by student members of the Management Society as Professor of the Year for 1991-1992 and 1995-1996.

Welch also received the John J. Koldus III Faculty/Staff Achievement Award and the Ed Guthrie Advisor of the Year Award in 1992-1993. In addition, he was the recipient of The Association of Former Students Award for Student Relations in 1994.

Marketing Professor David Szymanski’s article, “Customer Satisfaction: A Meta-analysis of the Empirical Evidence,” was the most downloaded article from April 2002 to April 2004. Downloaded 260 times, the article originally appeared in the Winter 2001 issue of theJournal of Academy of Marketing Science. The article explores how equity and disconfirmation relate to customer satisfaction.