Jones Journal -- Alumni Magazine of the Jones Graduate School of Management, Rice University

Please send comments to:
Deanna Sheaffer, Editor
Director of Alumni Affairs
Jones School of Management - MS 531 Rice University
P.O. Box 1892
Houston TX 77251-1892
e-mail:JGSalum@rice.edu

Jones Graduate School Club Updates
– By John Montgomery, Class of 2002

Graduate Women in Business

John Andell (‘02) and Sean Ferguson (MBA ‘01) with guests.

Natalie Cronfel (‘02), Hollie Rains (‘02) and Son Vu (‘02) at the Mardi Gras Party.

The Graduate Women in Business held “Grace Under Pressure: Perspectives on Women in Leadership 2001 Conference” on March 16. The conference featured distinguished women in business including Dr. Judith Craven, retired president of United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast; Monika Drake, former assistant director of career planning; Maria Hutchison, partner at Deloitte Consulting; Christie Patrick, vice president of public affairs, Enron; Helen Vollmer, CEO of Vollmer; and Bette Wickline, director of J.P. Morgan Chase Women’s Business Initiative. In addition to the panelist discussion, the conference included break-out sessions with the featured guests. GWIB is growing in membership and is preparing to hold elections for next year’s officers.

Marketing Club

The Marketing Club is beefing up its efforts to bring internship and full-time job opportunities to the Jones School. Initiatives like the publication of marketing resume books, the building of corporate relationships, and the creation of a marketing alumni liaison all contribute to these efforts. In addition to bringing more internships and jobs to the school, one of the focuses of the marketing club is preparing its members for interviews and increasing their knowledge of the industry overall. We are doing this through the American Marketing Association, the Marketing Case Competition, mock interviews, and seminars. The planning stage for the second Marketing Case Competition (to be held in the Fall) is well underway. Lastly, the Marketing Club sponsors events, such as pub crawls and receptions, in order to provide social opportunities for networking and idea/experience sharing. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the marketing resume book or participating in any of the activities, please e-mail Nelrose Viloria (’02) or Keryth Mendelow (’02).

Finance Club

Under the leadership of Mike Wieland (MBA ’01) and David Frankfort (’02) the Finance Club has hosted many guest speakers this year. The speakers represent all aspects of banking and corporate finance. Speech topics included quantitative as well as qualitative discussions on such subjects as customer service. Second semester speakers included: Ron Stein, head of equity trading at AIM Management; Kevin Cronin, domestic head of equity trading at AIM Management; Dan Carter, vice president at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management; Marc Oster, vice president at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management; Doug Terreson, managing director at Morgan Stanley Equity Research; and Tony Vallone, owner of Tony’s, Grotto, La Griglia, Anthony’s, Vallone’s, Tony’s@Home, and Tony’s Ballroom.

Real Estate Club

The Rice Real Estate Club has had a lot of student interest since its inception, with over 30 students expressing a strong desire to join the club. The general consensus is that many students are very curious about the industry, yet many of us know little about the careers available. One of the real strengths of the club will be its ability to inform students about the industry and the potential for challenging, business oriented careers within it, which we feel is vital for Rice considering the number of national real estate companies here in Houston. During the second semester, the group hosted speaker John Daugherty of John Daugherty Realtors, one of Houston’s premier real estate firms. Next year’s club officers are the following members of the class of 2002: Philip Croker, chairman; Keith Faseler, vice chairman; and Aaron Brabson, Chris Beckett, Natalie Cronfel, Mark Kissinger, Stephanie Macey, Nila Patel, John Puckett, and Josh Weber, vice presidents.

Information Technology Club

The IT Club was busy this semester sponsoring and co-sponsoring activities such as the Wine Tasting event in March. Additional club activities included tutoring interested first years in Adobe Photoshop, PowerPoint, and in making digital video commercials with Premiere. IT Club officers for 2001-02 have not yet been elected. 2000-2001 officers include: Andrew Adams (MBA ’01), CEO, Ted Nelson (MBA ’01), CFO, and Chad Rudy (MBA ’01), COO.

Jones Quill Club

The Quill Club continued to provide writing assistance to interested students this semester. The club is currently planning to bring a speaker to campus who will have extensive experience in business writing. The club is also working with the communications faculty to find ways to increase value in next year’s communication classes.

Toastmasters

Toastmasters continued regular meetings despite the fact that the bulk of the club’s activity takes place in the first semester. The club sponsored sessions for students wanting to practice presentations and speeches. The club is also actively working with the communications faculty to find ways to increase value in next year’s communication classes. Club officers for 2001 include Mark Kissinger (’02), president; and Khari Bridges (’02), Eva Flores (’02), and Gary Franzen (’02), vice presidents.