The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business prepares to graduate 91 students this Friday from the Halliburton Business Foundations Summer Institute, an eight-week program that exposes non-business majors to the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed as business leaders.
“This program grew out of a realization that some of our best business leaders graduate from programs other than the business school,” said Regina Hughes, senior lecturer in finance and director of the Business Foundations Program.
Hughes said the program, now in its fourth year, makes students more valuable in all phases of their career. This year’s recruiting companies include Halliburton, Dow Chemical, Google, Bazaarvoice, American Airlines and Facebook.
“Halliburton recognizes that by opening the doors of the business school to other students, they are helping create a new generation of business leaders with unique perspectives on culture, science, engineering and other disciplines,” she said.
Halliburton, the Houston-based energy company that sponsors the institute, plans to continue funding and to make the program available and affordable to all University of Texas at Austin students, Hughes said.
Courses cover the fundamentals of accounting, international business, management, marketing and finance. During the Summer Institute, coursework is integrated and complemented with group projects.
The program has enrolled 238 students to date. The 91 students participating in the program this summer represent all but one school on campus.
“With that diversity, presentations became works of art with students adding their own special touch,” Hughes said.
Students benefit from learning opportunities not offered during the regular school year, including team-building opportunities, résumé and business communications workshops, mock interviews and etiquette luncheons.
Christian Garcia, senior vice president of investor relations for Halliburton, discusses investment management with the students and is one of several guest speakers. Others include Gordon Massie, author of “The Whistleblower’s Dilemma,” a first-person account of facing accounting fraud.
Applications for the Halliburton Business Foundations Summer Institute are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis each year, with up to 100 students selected. For more information, visit the Business Foundations Program and watch a video about the Summer Institute.
