Mays Business Online

There was a priceless expression of surprise on his face when Mays Business School Distinguished Professor of marketing Leonard Berry turned away from his students to find Elsa Murano, president of Texas A&M University, had entered his classroom. President Murano interrupted Berry’s lecture to present the speechless instructor with one of the university’s highest recognitions, the Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence award.

Mays doctoral graduates are counting down the final days of their extended education this spring, preparing themselves to share their business acumen with the nation’s brightest minds. With Mays’ placement among the top U.S. business schools, it is only fitting that many of its doctoral graduates have been offered teaching positions at acclaimed institutions with high-ranking business programs.

He has three degrees in marketing and an extensive body of marketing research to his name, so it may seem surprising that Stephen McDaniel, assistant department head, masters advisor, and marketing professor at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School would enjoy studying ancient civilizations in his free time. There is another side to “Dr. Mac,” as students know him: his leisure time is filled with articles about artifacts and excavation as he pursues his hobby of biblical archeology.

Ring Day is a rite of passage for every Aggie and a time of celebration for every Aggie family. For the Easterwoods, the Ring Day held on April 4 had special significance: As Jeff Easterwood ’07 accepted his ring and looked forward to finishing his degree at Mays Business School in a few weeks, his father, Terry ’80, was celebrating the start of his studies there.

Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students has announced the recipients of the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus Award. One of the four men honored with this distinction is Neal W. Adams, who received his BBA in marketing in 1968.

The Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School has announced that Payless ShoeSource CEO and President Matt Rubel will receive the 2008 M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award. The award, which recognizes vision and outstanding achievements in retailing, will be presented on April 2 and is part of the center’s 25th anniversary celebration.

He’s been called a spoiler and a political gadfly as often as he’s been called a visionary and a consumer advocate. According to new research by a Mays professor, Ralph Nader and his “Nader effect” are highly relevant in marketing as well as politics.

Sujan Dan, a doctoral student at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, has recently been named a winner in the 2007 Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) Doctoral Dissertation Award Competition.

They weren’t supposed to win. They were less experienced and lacked the expertise of their competitors whose programs were more specialized. The team of graduate students from Texas A&M University knew they were a long shot to win the Case Cup competition at the National Sports Forum in January.

The Department of Marketing at Mays Business School will host a research workshop on February 15 that has one distinguishing feature: the presenters are all former Mays doctoral students in marketing.