Texas MBAs, recent grads, and interested members of the McCombs community:

The Lance Armstrong Foundation’s LIVESTRONG Challenge will be held October 15-16 and the McCombs School of Business, once again, has a team. I’m inviting you to join the fun by participating in the event or supporting one of your classmates who is. The cause is a good one and the camaraderie makes it worthwhile by itself.

The LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin takes place in downtown Austin and Dripping Springs. You can take part in a 5K run/walk on Saturday and/or the multi-distance bike ride with 20, 45, 65 and 90 mile options. I can tell you from my experience with the bike ride the past three years that the event is one of the best organized rides in the area. It has well-stocked rest stops on a beautiful course in Texas Hill Country.

You can sign on to The McCombs School of Business team for the 2011 LIVESTRONG Challenge – Austin is at http://austin2011.livestrong.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=442672&lis=1&kntae442672=8C47566AB2E543AE947F643AC545416A&team=4015493

To provide a little encouragement, I will donate $10 to each of the first 25 MBAs who join the team.

We are working hard to get team jerseys for this year’s team. We have an amazing design and if we can get the purchase through our trademark and licensing group in time, all current MBA participants will receive one (subject to size availability—jerseys will be distributed to team members in the order they sign up, assuming they have met the fundraising minimums). My fingers are crossed that we can pull this off.

It’s hard to think of a disease that has affected so many of us, directly and indirectly, as cancer has. I hope you’ll consider joining or supporting the McCombs team and help the Lance Armstrong Foundation advance the fight.
Have a great semester,

Eric Hirst
Associate Dean for Graduate Programs &
John Arch White Professor of Business
The University of Texas at Austin
Red McCombs School of Business
Department of Accounting, CBA 2.544
1 University Station B6400

Submitted by Nina Maldonado