Message from the Dean

Welcome to the Spring 2019 issue of the Price College E-Zine!

In this issue, we highlight the many ways OU’s Price College of Business is “all in” on energy. We begin with an interview of Bob Zinke, the namesake of our Robert M. Zinke Energy Management Program, the first, largest, and most distinctive of its kind anywhere in the world.  The wide-ranging discussion covers how Bob’s time as an oil field kid inspired him to be the successful global businessman he is today. Over the years, Bob has supported OU in many ways, including service as chairman of the Price College Energy Management Advisory Board, a member of the Price Board of Advisors, and a founding member of the Arthur B. Adams Society.

We next dive into the Energy Institute, which is approaching a decade of service to students and stakeholders.  Don’t miss a special video interview with Dr. Dipankar Ghosh, the Institute’s executive director who will discuss the Institute’s Executive MBA in Energy, which recently jumped 19 spots to be ranked 23rd overall in the world by CEO Magazine.  Elsewhere, we take a peek at how the Institute’s Research Director, Dr. Scott Linn, has garnered six major grants from the U.S. Department of Energy.  Additionally, we highlight the Institute’s annual Energy Symposium, held recently on April 25, at the Baker Hughes Global Innovation Facility in Oklahoma City.

We also provide a profile of Steve Long, retiring as director of the Robert M. Zinke Energy Management Program.  After a dozen years at the helm, Steve discusses the advancement of the program in response to unprecedented levels of industry change and opportunity.  If you had the pleasure of working under Steve’s leadership as a student, there is a wonderful opportunity to honor him with an online gift to a scholarship in his name.

Next, we learn more about Mike McConnell, incoming director of the Robert M. Zinke Energy Management Program, who brings over 30 years of executive level experience in the energy industry. A 1982 graduate of the Zinke Energy Management Program, Mike has returned to his alma to run the program from which he got his start.

In other features, we recognize the many faculty and external board members investing their time and talent to provide the world-class education our students have come to depend on for their future.  We take a moment to highlight an innovative executive education program conducted in collaboration with 30 leaders from South Korea-based company SK Energy who traveled across the world to pursue continuing energy business education in Oklahoma, which is punctuated by a short recap video they provided from their experience.

As we continue our exploration of all things energy, we recap last year’s 60^th anniversary celebration of Zinke Energy Management Program, complete with a toast by the program’s namesake.

Of course, no edition of the Price E-Zine would be complete without some amazing student profiles.  In this instance, we share the story of Holly Crawford, a Fulbright Scholar and recent Price international business alum, who provides a firsthand account of her 10-month internship in Mexico, and the founders of Simple Modern (also Price alums) will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how their Norman-based designer water bottle company is making huge strides in the tumbler market.

As the landscape of the Price family continues changing, we say goodbye to our dear friend, Pete Adamson, III, while also welcoming Price alum Eric Stevenson to the OU Board of Regents.

Due to your generosity, we’ll highlight the recently endowed Tamara Pullin Partners in Learning Fund and give you an additional opportunity to help support faculty and student collaborations in the College. We’ll feature the college’s collaboration with the Ronnie K. Irani Center for Energy Solutions, a truly unique opportunity for students at OU’s Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy that is poised to grow to include students from the Price College of Business, Gallogly College of Engineering and the College of Law, thanks to the generous leadership of Ronnie K. Irani.

Finally, we’ll tell you about a new opportunity to support students pursuing the dual degrees of a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration, thanks to Dan Sloat, a graduating OU student who established the first scholarship fund of its kind in the history of OU.

On a personal note, Tamara and I want to thank each of you for all the support and encouragement you’ve shared with us over the last six years. While we are excited to return to DFW to serve the Neeley School of Business at TCU, we will forever cherish the amazing people who make OU and Price College such as special place. It has been the honor of a career to serve as dean of Price College, and while my job will change, my alma mater will not. We will stay engaged with Price philanthropically and otherwise as appropriate. We won’t be strangers in the least and will always be advocates for your dreams and aspirations for years to come. Thank you for making our lives such special ones to live.

Best,