Mays Impacts

Several research projects by University Distinguished Professor of Marketing Leonard Berry at Mays Business School have come to fruition.

Berry, whose research focuses on improving service in cancer care, has been involved with multiple studies on improving the quality of end-of-life care for patients with advanced illness.

Unlocking intrinsic hope in patients with advanced illness

Can cancer patients tap into a certain kind of hope that is often overlooked but incredibly therapeutic and healing?

In an article published in The BMJ Opinion (British Medical Journal) titled “The Dual Nature of Hope at the End of Life,” Berry and his co-authors suggest clinicians can help patients tap into a certain kind of hope that is often overlooked but incredibly therapeutic and healing. They differentiate between two types of hope: focused (focused on a cure and recovery) and intrinsic (peace with circumstances and ability to live in the moment).

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Three Mays graduates are among the 10 2017 recipients of the highest honor bestowed upon a former student of Texas A&M University, the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students are proud to welcome as Distinguished Alumni: Jorge A. Bermúdez ʼ73 of College Station, Craig Brown ’75 of Houston, and William M. “Bill” Huffman ’53 of College Station and Marshall.

A full list of the 10 recipients and their biographical information may be found here.

Jorge A. Bermúdez ʼ73, in a 33-year career with Citibank and Citigroup, was chief risk officer for Citigroup/Citibank, CEO and president of Citibank Commercial Banking Group and CEO of Citigroup Latin America. He is president and CEO of the Byebrook Group. He is an Outstanding International Alumnus of A&M, received the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Alumnus Award, and is on the Department of Agricultural Economics’ Tyrus R. Timm Honor Registry. He has served on the board and as chair for The Association of Former Students and is on the Texas A&M Foundation board as well as on the College of Agriculture Development Council, the Dean’s Advisory Board for Mays Business School and Texas A&M’s International Advisory Board. He is a board member and past chair of the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley’s investment committee. He serves on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. …Read more

Marketing Ph.D. student Brady Hodges was awarded second place and $750 at the International Business Pedagogy Workshops Poster Presentation at Georgia State University. 

The competition was part of a workshop held by the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

According to the CIBER website, the poster sessions were designed to showcase and share cutting-edge practices in teaching international business. Poster proposals were evaluated by a peer review committee following a double-blind process. Criteria included importance of the topic to the audience, novelty, creativity, and adaptability for use by other faculty members. …Read more

Willie Dennis, a Class of 2018 Full-Time MBA candidate at Mays Business School, was named among the 2017 scholarship recipients of the Texas Business Hall of Fame (TBHF). He was awarded $15,000.

According to TBHF guidelines, eligible candidates for the scholarship exhibit entrepreneurial aspirations, demonstrate a propensity for leadership in academic and campus activities and entrepreneurial achievements, and have good academic credentials.

Recipients were chosen after a round of nominations and then an interview process. A final recipient for each scholarship was selected to represent each of the participating universities.

Amber Acosta, associate director of the Full-Time MBA program, described Dennis as an active and contributing member of the MBA program. “His valuable insight in the classroom is matched only by his commitment to getting a well-rounded education,” she said. “Everything Willie does, he strives to do his absolute best. I have no doubt that Willie will be in the Texas Business Hall of Fame someday. We are so proud of him for receiving this prestigious scholarship.”

Previous Mays students to win TBHF scholarships include Full-Time MBA graduate Lloyd McGuire and Business Honors and Finance major Christopher Bybee ’17.

Mays Business School’s Master of Science in Business program congratulated 40 students in its inaugural graduating class with a hooding ceremony at the end of the Spring 2017 semester. ‘Jon Jasperson, MS Business Academic Director, spoke highly of the Class of 2017, describing the students as a diverse group that quickly became a tight-knit community.

Launched in fall 2017, the Mays MS Business program is a one-year program for students who did not study business as undergraduates. The program offers core functional knowledge in the various business disciplines and provides students hands-on experience in creating and running a real business.

“This class drew students from a variety of educational backgrounds and personal interests,” Jasperson said. “The student culture in many majors, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), is very competitive and mostly based on individual performance. As the director, it was fun to observe the change in the students as they learned about cooperation and collaboration in a team-based classroom environment.”

Jasperson said the students began to bond as a family beginning with the first block of classes of the program year. “They met every day, Monday through Friday, in the same classroom from 1:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., for four weeks. This total immersion in the MS Business classes quickly led to establishing relationships with new ‘family’ members for the students. Not only did they meet together in the classroom and for team meetings, but they also began hanging out with each other and socializing.”

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Mays Business School is teaming up with the Bryan-College Station Habitat for Humanity to give a hand up to local families with a Mays-sponsored Habitat Home.

This collegewide project will involve undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff in all departments and programs at Mays, to raise $55,000 to build a Habitat home in 2018. So far, funds have been raised at Maysfest, a faculty/staff chili cook-off, and at profit-share events at U Paint It and Grub Burger Bar. 

During the spring, several faculty and staff members filled flower pots and delivered them to Habitat homeowners.

In a video announcement about the partnership, Dean Eli Jones said the project is about Selfless Service, “an Aggie core value that we truly cherish at Mays Business School.” The video is being shown at New Student Conferences throughout the summer to introduce incoming students to the initiative.

Mays faculty and staff members decorated flower pots and gave them as gifts to Habitat for Humanity homeowners.

Andy York, executive director of B/CS Habitat for Humanity, said the project furthers Habitat International’s mission of “bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope.”

The partnership was initiated by Mays’ Office of Diversity of Inclusion, which identifies targeted opportunities within local and state communities to engage members of the Mays faculty staff and current student population to give back and strengthen community connections.

In September, Mays will launch its primary fund-raising campaign for the year with a gingerbread house decorating competition. After the contest, the 50 gingerbread houses will be delivered to current Habitat homeowners.

Learn more about getting involved with the Mays Habitat for Humanity project at tx.ag/maysbuilds.