ON CAMPUS Team Prescribes Best Medicine
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UTD students met on campus with sophomores from Williams High School in Plano. The college students serve as mentors.
Students Mentor At-Risk High School Sophomores
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eborah Hernandez quit high school and worked minimum wage jobs before she realized pursuing an education was the key to her success. Now a junior majoring in public affairs, Hernandez mentors teens at risk of dropping out of high school. She hopes imparting her life experiences will help them realize they can pursue their educational goals despite life’s obstacles. “Regardless of circumstances, they can accomplish whatever it is they set,” Hernandez said. “I was told when I quit school that I would not make it. And here I am.” Hernandez is among 18 UT Dallas students who are mentoring 58 sophomores from Williams High School in Plano as part of a program led by the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS). The Home Builders Institute (HBI) in Washington, D.C., awarded EPPS a $67,000 grant to run the program, which is called HBI Construction—Coaching Opportunities to Reach Employment. Nationally, the program aims to match 5,000 youths with more than 1,600 industry mentors. UT Dallas is the only university of the more than 30 participating sites nationwide. Dr. Sarah Maxwell, an assistant dean for undergraduate education in EPPS, Dr. Nadine Connell, an assistant professor of criminology, and Stephen Clipper, a criminology program graduate assistant, are overseeing the program at UTD. -Marissa Alanis 4
utdallas.edu
ard-nosed economics and ethical judgment calls helped a team of Naveen Jindal School of Management students win a case competition that asked competitors to distribute $500 million in make-believe money throughout a hypothetical hospital system. The team of graduate students tied for first place and earned $3,000 in the second annual contest sponsored by the North Texas chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. The competition had firm footing in real life, said JSOM team captain Raj Shah. “With the economy in crisis and health care so expensive, hospital systems are finding it difficult to determine who should get funds first and who should wait.” Shah is both an MBA and an MS in healthcare management student—and also co-president of the JSOM-based campus Healthcare Management Club. His teammates also are active in the club. Co-president Richa Singh and membership chairman Archana Subhash are working toward their MS in healthcare management degrees. Carson Marston is an MBA student. In a 20-page paper and in-person presentation, the foursome recommended that all system hospitals follow an asset-management strategy. “They took advantage of what they have learned in the classroom; they networked; and they optimized their resources,” said Dr. Forney Fleming, director of the MS in healthcare management program. “Their success is a reflection of their hard work and demonstrates the high quality of students in our program.” -Kris Imherr
Raj Shah, Archana Subhash, Dr. Forney Fleming, Carson Marston and Richa Singh.
