The Starter
The Starter
From the Dean Spring semester is now complete and with it comes the close of another academic year. This year, there is much to celebrate, as we’ve begun implementing our new path forward for the Jones School. It’s a refined strategy that builds on our strengths in core business disciplines that enable us to simultaneously create global impact and to further embrace the dynamic powerhouse of a city that we call home. Our investments in energy, health care and entrepreneurship reflect Houston’s assets, and by deepening our commitment to those strengths and our relationship to this international city, we better prepare our students for leadership success in the competitive global marketplace. Driving this strategy, the deans’ suite now includes: K. Ramesh Barbara Ostdiek, Brent Smith and Rachel Fleck. Faculty leadership also is crucial for the revised strategy. Under the leadership of Professor of Entrepreneurship and Psychology Al Napier and through his partnership with Professor of Entrepreneurship Ed Williams, we already have a strong reputation in entrepreneurship. The same model of faculty leadership will be used to enhance our presence in energy and health care. J. Hugh Liedtke Professor of Marketing Vikas Mittal will lead the energy industry initiative, and Associate Professor of Strategic Management Prashant Kale will lead our health care industry initiative. Professor of Marketing Amit Pazgal also has been named academic director of operations management.
• We highlight our successes in attracting top talent, such
as highly qualified military veterans, whose impact on our school is unparalleled and whose influence on business will be even more exciting.
• And we feature the big ideas of Professor Pazgal, whose lifetime of research not only impacts his field, but also transforms how firms conduct their business.
Spring is a time of change, transformation and growth, and I marvel at the continuous growth, developing legacy and increased reputation of the Jones School that has taken place during my tenure as dean. As I reflect on the school’s accomplishments in knowledge creation and value-added business education, the big ideas of our faculty and the quality of the educational programs, it seems fitting that I too make room for change and growth. Relatively few deans remain in office more than seven to eight years, and I have been privileged and honored to serve as dean for nine. In 2016, as I enter my eleventh year, the school will begin a search process for a new dean. Until that time, I remain committed to further developing the Jones School as a premier business school creating value for our stakeholders. And I hope, on the dawn of the school’s 40th anniversary, you will join me in celebrating the many accomplishments and successes we’ve achieved together.
• The
magazine includes stories about alumni and students who’ve jumped into the daunting arena of entrepreneurship, here in Texas and as far away as Dubai and London. cover story showcases Rice Executive Education’s impact on developing lifelong talent – through educating Houston’s current business leaders, whose fields range from energy and health care to education and more.
22 Growing Houston Business Rice University Executive Education and its expanding reach in Houston and beyond
This issue of the Jones Journal highlights the impact our students, faculty and alumni have already made in these fields that differentiate our school:
• The
Features
26 Bill Glick Dean + H. Joe Nelson III Professor of Management Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business Rice University I 713-348-5928 I bill.glick@rice.edu
From Military to MBA The challenging transition from veteran back to civilian
30 The Price is Right ... Or Not One professor's research analyzing a firm's perspective on pricing, sales practices and profits
26 SPRING 2014 JONES JOURNAL // 1