Category Archives: News

HBA Nonprofit Speed Dating Event Exposes Students to Different Paths

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HBA Nonprofit Speed Dating Event Exposes Students to Different Paths

Written by Rachel Diebner

Walking through McCombs, I often catch snippets of conversations about recruiting, finance classes, or infamous MIS assignments. But on the evening of March 8, the conversation was a little different: The Honors Business Association hosted its second annual Nonprofit Speed Dating event.

Business Honors students spent their Wednesday evening wrapped up in discussions with five alumni who have truly made a mark in their communities after leaving the 40 Acres:

  • Amy Moore (BHP ’92), Austin Partners in Education
  • Ashley Haustein, Miracle Foundation
  • Isha Paul (BHP ’12), KIPP Austin Public Schools
  • Jorge Galan, Teach for America
  • Will Robison (BHP ’08), Capital Impact Partners

Our conversations varied wildly. I chatted with Will about how his experience in investment banking, a popular career choice among BHP students, helped him launch his career in the social sector. Isha shared some impressive insights on how McCombs students can bridge the gap between the corporate and nonprofit worlds. Jorge told me stories about how he transformed a rambunctious high school calculus classroom into an innovative learning environment. Every conversation was different and each as exciting as the next.

When the event came to a close, it was hard to wrap up our discussions. The entire room was buzzing with energy — we were swapping ideas for new social impact projects and daydreaming out loud about possible career paths. Sometimes, as a business student, it’s hard to pursue nonprofit interests when everybody else seems to be laser-focused on Wall Street and the prestigious companies that recruit from our Ford Career Center. But nights like this remind me that my BHP education is a strong toolkit and platform to change the world: We’ve certainly seen our alumni embody this ideal, and I can’t wait to see how my BHPals will someday too.

Professor Spotlight: Robert Prentice – LEB 323H

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Professor Spotlight: Robert Prentice – LEB 323H

Written by Audra Fields

“’Be the kind of person your dog thinks you are’ ~Robert Prentice” I read as I cracked open my BHP-customized fortune cookie, a part of a playful initiative to encourage ethical behavior at McCombs. Not only is that advice humorous, but credible– If anyone should be fortune-telling over ethics, it is Dr. Robert Prentice, director of BHP, 37-year running professor of Business Law and Ethics, behavioral ethics expert, and dog enthusiast. This week, I sat down with him to find out more about his career, background, and joys in life.

What courses do you teach? I teach the BHP required LEB323H course (Business Law and Ethics) and the BHP Lyceum 151H. I have taught for 37 years at UT, and taught LEB every year.

But which class is your favorite? LEB323H because I get to do all the talking.

What do you enjoy the most about teaching BHP students? The kids are very smart and engaged. They take ownership of their education more than most students. It’s all relative, but in the great scheme of things, they take it more seriously. They’re all smarter than I am.

It’s rumored that you were once a farmer. Tell me more about your career path and how you got into teaching. I had three jobs before teaching at UT. The first was working my parents’ farm in Kansas, which I did until I was 17 and could pay my way through college and law school. The second was being a law clerk for Federal District Judge Richard Rogers in Kansas. I did that for five years and loved it! The third was teaching a public speaking course at night school. After that, I knew I wanted to teach.

Any crazy stories from that night school gig? Yes! Linda Brown, from Brown vs. Board of Education, was actually a student in my public speaking class. A girl whose dad started Westboro Baptist Church was also in the class. Even weirder, during my time as a clerk, I faced that guy who started the Westboro Baptist Church cult in court, as he was a lawyer.

Let’s learn some fun facts about you. Give me five!

  • I have two great daughters, Indie and Kira. Kira is in a dance troupe at Harvard, but I am deathly afraid of dancing. Dancing in public is a nightmare scenario for me. I’m just terrible at it.
  • My favorite animal is a dog, specifically a Border Collie.
  • I’m big on baking, watching movies, and reading. If you have any book recommendations, let me know!
  • I love watching college sports. The teams I root for are the Kansas Jayhawks for basketball and UT for football. I also love playing softball!
  • Traveling is one of my biggest hobbies. My favorite travel destinations are Scotland, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

When and where are your office hours? Come find me in CBA 5.256 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-11 am and Wednesdays from 8-9 am, but I’m here lots and lots of other times too.

Student Spotlight: Katherine Magee

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Student Spotlight: Katherine Magee

BHP Senior Katherine Magee originally came into UT as an engineering major, but she soon realized that her interests lay elsewhere. “I discovered that I was more interested in solving strategic problems than I was in solving technical problems,” Magee said. This led her to McCombs, and to BHP. She was admitted to BHP through the sophomore transfer process, and quickly felt at home in the BHP community.

In addition to her involvement in the BHP community, Magee has been involved in organizations that have allowed her to find innovative solutions for problems both inside and outside of UT. She was particularly passionate about her work with Central Texas Model UN, the BHP Steering Committee, and the Senate of College Councils (SCC).  She has enjoyed volunteering at Model United Nations conferences around the world to help teach high school students about international affairs.  Her focus in the SCC has been on improving UT’s curriculum, and working to design a new technology education program at UT that would give students increased exposure to technology in their classes. Through the BHP Steering Committee, Magee has also worked to improved the BHP curriculum and increase the level of student feedback on BHP courses.

Magee also found time for two internships, working at the Capitol, Upland Software, and for Bain & Company. Her sophomore year, she served as a legislative intern at the Texas State Capitol. Though she enjoyed being involved in public policy and interacting with constituents, the experience helped her realize she did not want to pursue politics. That summer, she had the chance to work at Upland Software, which taught her bout the technology and SaaS industries. The following summer, she interned with Bain & Company, where she helped develop business initiatives for a trailer axle manufacturer and worked on a results delivery project for a quick service restaurant. She enjoyed the internship immensely and will return there as an Associate Consultant after graduation.

“If you had told me as a freshman that I would be working for Bain after graduation, I would have been very surprised!” Magee said. She is thrilled to be working for Bain, and she credits McCombs for helping her turn her interests into relevant and exciting experiences. “I’m thankful for the community McCombs has given me, and the professors and classes I’ve had that have encouraged me to try new things, which ultimately led me to this job and career path!”

 

 

Professor Spotlight: Douglas Hannah – MAN 374H

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Professor Spotlight: Douglas Hannah – MAN 374H

Currently, only BHP seniors have the privilege of learning from Douglas Hannah in class, but that is about to change. Dr. Hannah currently teaches the BHP capstone course MAN 374H, which focuses on business strategy. All BHP students take MAN 374H before graduating, and if you are in Dr. Hannah’s section of the class, studying strategy includes tinker toys and lots of chocolate. Starting in the fall of 2017, sophomore students will also get to enjoy Dr. Hannah’s dynamic and engaging teaching style. Dr. Hannah is developing a new course for first-semester BHP sophomores that will focus on entrepreneurship and creativity. He hopes the class will be a gateway to introduce student leaders to all of the entrepreneurship course offerings, resources, opportunities, and student organizations on campus. The course will include lessons on idea creation and how to turn an idea into a company. According to Hannah, the fundamental skill of entrepreneurship is “how to see something no one else has seen and convince others that it is a good idea.”

Dr. Hannah’s research focuses on entrepreneurial strategy in emerging high tech industries. He explores the balance between cooperation and competition in these developing industries and is very interested in the interdependence between actors that need to coordinate to bring new products to market. In high-tech industries, decision making happens in settings with high uncertainty, and strategy theories are constantly changing. With a background in environmental policy consulting, graduate degrees in both engineering and strategy, and extensive research experience, there is no doubt that Professor Hannah will create an enjoyable and valuable learning experience for students through this new entrepreneurship class.

Professor Hannah’s advice to students is to worry less about the specifics of an assignment and more about what they can do with the skills they are learning through the assignment. He says that the people students look up to seem to have been on a straight path, but that is an optical illusion. In reality, everyone’s career paths are much more winding than we realize. Students in BHP tend to be conservative in risk-taking, but Dr. Hannah suggests that students should “have faith in themselves to figure out new things” and take more challenging risks.

Students are encouraged to visit Dr. Hannah’s office hours, which are held this semester on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00 p.m. in CBA 4.254. He is also available by appointment. Want to get to know this impressive professor but not sure how to start? Here’s a list of questions to ask in office hours! They are guaranteed to start a great conversation and help you learn something new.

  1. What companies really won through the Pokemon Go phenomenon?
  2. What is the Herb Kelleher center?
  3. Are Intel and Microsoft’s incentives well aligned?
  4. What kind of competitions have you participated in in over 30 states and 6 countries?
  5. Tell me about the time you lived on a bus for the summer.
  6. What’s new in the world of environmental advocacy?

Professor Spotlight: Christopher Meakin – LEB 323H

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Professor Spotlight: Christopher Meakin – LEB 323H

Professor Christopher Meakin teaches LEB 323H- Legal and Ethical Environment of Business. Professor Meakin lights up the classroom with his passion for ethics; from the readings, to cases, to real-life examples in class, Professor Meakin is able to evaluate the ethical challenges that we will all surely face in the business world, and help students come to the best possible solutions. With 28 years of teaching under his belt, and 15 years at The University of Texas alone, Meakin has taught classes ranging from entrepreneurship to negotiations, from law school to business integrity and ethics, and currently teaches both undergraduates and MBA students.

Professor Meakin used to be involved in the BHP admissions process, so he is truly aware of how hard it is to gain acceptance into this program, and the quality of students that he has in the classroom. “I like BHP because the high quality of the students means that I have to do my very best every class and that raises my game. These students don’t mind working hard,” he said. In addition, Professor Meakin mentioned the small class sizes as another plus. He enjoys taking the time to get to know his students and loves to be on a first name basis in class while conducting ethics exercises (as his students, both current and past, are sure to tell you).

While Professor Meakin doesn’t have any formal research areas, he enjoys “going off on tears,” focusing on a particular subject of interest to him. When asked for an example, Meakin was delighted to chat about his research concerning dishonesty in grocery store checkouts and the rationalization behind such behavior. If you are interested in ethics and rationalization, this man is the one to talk to!

Meakin started on the path to professorship because he “was a really bad student,” so he was well equipped to understand what worked and what didn’t when it came to making an impact on a student’s education. Before coming to UT, Professor Meakin was teaching law school in Houston, but was ready for a change. An opening became available in LEB at UT and Meakin was offered the job. He decided to give it a shot, and has loved teaching undergrads ever since.

If you want to make the most out of your office hours and truly get to know the amazing professor Meakin, try asking him some of these questions about the latest and greatest in cycling, or about the Girl Scouts. You could also ask him to read you a sheet of music, but if you really want to get to know Meakin, you should talk to him about his two beautiful daughters, or his “airport” dog (that one is a good story).

No matter what your reason is for stopping by, Professor Meakin will be ready to chat. He urges students to “come see us, because most of the time we are pretty quirky.” Drop by Professor Meakin’s office anytime; he holds office hours before his 9:30 class, but is more than happy to schedule a visit at another time. Just shoot him an email. His office can be found in CBA 2.236, which is on the ground floor of McCombs in the glass area in the northeast corner that houses the BGS department offices. Dropping by office hours “really helps to put a face to a name. Come by, we are still 20 years old at heart, I have really not grown up, and I love to spend time with my students.”