Mays Impacts

The Mays College will have new leadership starting July 1, as Dr. Jerry R. Strawser, interim dean of the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, has been named Dr. Benton Cocanougher’s successor as dean. The appointment is pending final approval of the Texas A&M University System Chancellor.

The move to Texas A&M will be a return home of sorts for Strawser, who received three accounting degrees from the Mays College, including a BBA in 1983, a master’s of science in 1984 and a doctorate in 1985. In 1999, he accepted the position of interim dean at the University of Houston, where he is the Arthur Andersen and Co. Alumni Professor of Accountancy and Taxation. Before serving as interim dean, he served four years as the associate dean for academic and research programs. Strawser was on Louisiana State University faculty for five years before joining the University of Houston.

In making the announcement, A&M Executive Vice President and Provost Ronald G. Douglas said, “I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Strawser’s ability to provide the leadership required to continue the growth in quality programs of the Texas A&M University Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business.”

Be on the look out for more coverage of Strawser in upcoming issues of Mays Business Online.

The Arthur Andersen & Co. Chair in Accounting Robert Strawser has recently received the Regents Professor Service Award given by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. He was one of two faculty members named to the three-year appointment from the College Station campus. Established in 1996, the award program recognizes and honors faculty members who have made exemplary contributions to their university. Each recipient receives a stipend of $3,000 for each of the three years. Strawser, who has been teaching at A&M more than 25 years, has received numerous teaching and research awards and is listed in McGraw-Hill’s Accounting Literature Index as the leading active author among all U.S. and international academics.

Thanks to the generous support of Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte, 75 undergraduate and graduate distinguished business students are pursing their educational through the Mitte Scholarship Program. The Mittes were recently honored at a reception and dinner by the college, which featured entertainment by the Texas A&M Singing Cadets. The 2000 Mitte Scholars were also recognized during the program for their academic achievements.

Representatives of Ford Motor Company recently visited Texas A&M, meeting some of the Mays College’s brightest students. Undergraduate and graduate students in the Ford Scholars Program were on hand to greet representatives from Ford Motor Company and acknowledge the company’s generous support of their academic pursuits in the college. Members of Ford’s team visiting the college included: Carlos E. Mazzorin, group vice president of global purchasing and South America; Chuck Maitland, director of manufacturing; Linda Plawecki, purchasing manager; Candy Chatawanich, body structures engineer; Alberto Piccone, purchasing manager; and Denny Igun, recruiting account manager.

Through a recent partnership with the college, the Ford Scholars Program was established to recognize students’ outstanding academic achievements. Thanks to the collaboration, the Mays College also established the Ford Motor Company Chair in Consumerism/E-Commerce/E-Business, the Ford Faculty Fellowship and the Ford Excellence Fund.