Your Stories

Bridging The Gap

Bauer Alumna Invests in Bauer MBA Communications Initiative

by Julie Bonnin

Thinking back to my time at Bauer, I got as much or more from my accounting and information systems courses as I did from my marketing classes. This is why I always encourage students to take courses outside of their core interest.

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Why I Give Back

Bauer Alumni Share Personal Insight on Staying Connected to Houston's Business School

Intro by Jessica Navarro

One common thread binds all Bauer alumni together — the transformational experience provided by the college, giving them access to applicable curriculum alongside hands-on learning opportunities and connections to industry.

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The Great Future

Charles T. "Ted" Bauer Legacy Lives Through the C. T. Bauer Foundation

Intro by Jessica Navarro & Amanda Sebesta

Charles T. “Ted” Bauer was a visionary in every sense of the word. His legacy is firmly placed in the college that bears his name, the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.

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Diversifying the Boardroom

Bauer College Donor Reflects on Mentorship, Service

By Jessica Navarro & Amanda Sebesta

Link Staffing Services Co-founder and CEO Karen Pitts has built a staffing empire, while focusing on empowering women in business and leadership roles.

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Gratitude in Action

A Tribute to Jim Stover, Bauer Alumnus & Philanthropist (1943-2018)

By Wendell Brock

Jim Stover (BBA ’72) didn’t start college until he was 24. But once he got to the University of Houston, he seemed to be on a path to make up for lost time.

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Alumni Spotlight

Bauer College Alumnus Leads Tax Department for Lions Gate Entertainment

Intro & Interview by Julie Bonnin

Alongside his wife Jill, Bauer College alumnus Mike Hainkel supports UH students through merit scholarships and hosting alumni events in the Los Angeles area.

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The King of Giving Back

For Ernst & Young Partner, Bauer College Remains Top Priority

Intro & Interview by Wendell Brock

As a National Merit Scholar, John King got a full ride at the University of Houston, and he now feels it his duty to give back.

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Banking on Bauer

From the Nation's Capital, Bauer Alumnus Supports Fellowship Program

By Wendell Brock

In 1970, Sam Schreiber (BBA ’74) left his hometown of New York City to get a finance degree from the University of Houston. Now in his 44th year as a banker, Schreiber’s career has taken him from Texas to Georgia to New Jersey to the Washington, D.C., area. Along the way, the former Wells Fargo and Texas Commerce Bank executive lost touch with his alma mater.

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In Good Hands

Bauer College Donors Share Motivation for Giving Back

Intro By Jessica Navarro & Photography by Nicki Evans

Giving isn’t just about writing a check.

It takes a community of believers to achieve the incredible. Donors allow Bauer College to recruit and retain talented students, expand and launch programs to prepare students for the job market, and engage alumni to provide opportunity and visibility for Bauer College worldwide.

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Just the Beginning

Amegy Bank Founder and Bauer College Donor Reflects on Lifetime of Hard Work

By Amanda Sebesta & Jessica Navarro

Sit down with Walter Johnson for five minutes, and you’ll know one thing for certain — the man values hard work.

Chat with him a while longer, and you’ll know why. Born a “Depression Era Baby” in Fort Worth, Johnson has worked since age 6, helping his father with odd jobs. At 12, he began to mow yards for people in town who lived miles away (because the closest neighbors had sand instead of lush, green grass, he said).

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Remembering a Legacy

Bauer College celebrates donor and philanthropist Melvyn Wolff

By Jessica Navarro

Noted business leader and philanthropist Melvyn Wolff passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 25 at the age of 86.

Wolff, along with his wife Cyvia, was one of most ardent supporters of student success at the Bauer College. Together, they made a naming gift in 2007 to the college’s entrepreneurship program, now known as the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship. He also served as a member of the Bauer College Board for nearly a decade.

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Investing in Education

For Nearly Three Decades, Payne Teaching Excellence Awards Honor Bauer Faculty

Story by Julie Bonnin & Photography by Nicki Evans

Wayne Payne grew up in a little town in Missouri, became an Eagle Scout and was awarded a scholarship to attend a small college in his home state during the post-World War II era. He worked during school in the office of the dean of students, was president of his fraternity and the Independent Students Organization, and for the rest of his life, never really stopped being involved in whatever community he was living in.

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Team Players

Bauer Alumnus and Wife Aim to Create Cycle of Giving

By Jessica Navarro & Amanda Sebesta

Roger Shao left Taiwan at age 10 to come to the United States with his parents and sister — the language was different, the trends were different and the customs were different.

But one thing was the same. The drive and determination to find personal success so that you could one day help others translated across all barriers.

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The Giving Process

Bauer Senior Director of Advancement Shares Perspective

By Robert E. King

Introducing yourself to someone can be a tricky thing.

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First Class

Inaugural Cohort Graduates from Ted Bauer Undergraduate Business Scholars Program

By Jessica Navarro & Amanda Sebesta

Any college graduate will tell you — the path from application and admission to graduation isn’t an easy one, and for a special group of students within the Bauer College of Business, it’s not a walk you take alone.

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Essays on Leadership

Bauer College Students, Faculty, Staff and Alumni Reflect

Intro By Jessica Navarro, Photography By Nicki Evans

It’s right there in the Bauer College mission statement — capitalizing on the business and professional strengths of the Houston community, the mission of the C. T. Bauer College of Business is to conduct research that will shape and address new business realities and to prepare our students for responsible leadership worldwide.

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Bauermerch.com Launches

New Online Store Benefits Bauer College Scholarships

By Amanda Sebesta and Jessica Navarro

The C. T. Bauer College of Business has launched a new online store that will allow supporters to show their pride and support student scholarships.

BauerMerch.com offers official and exclusive Bauer College merchandise — initial inventory includes apparel and electronics, along with items for travel and business. Proceeds from each order will benefit Bauer College scholarships.

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Entrepreneurial Icon

Houston Legend Celebrates 90th Birthday, Shares Life Lessons

By Jessica Navarro and Amanda Sebesta

For many in the Houston business community, the name Bill Sherrill is synonymous with the city where the entrepreneurial icon was born, raised and made.

Born less than three miles from the University of Houston campus, Sherrill has spent his life creating memories in Houston — including launching the entrepreneurship program at what is now known as Bauer College later in life.

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Planting the Seeds

Family Honors Late Son With Endowment For Bauer Students

By Amanda Sebesta

For Ken and Diane Kiecke, the decision to honor their late son’s memory through a scholarship endowment was simple — the only way to grow is to give.

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Banking on Success

Whitney Bank VP Paves Way to Support Bauer Community Outreach

By Wendell Brock

As a young man growing up in a Mexican-American family in Bellaire, Alan Villanueva struggled in high school and had to attend summer and night sessions to catch up.

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Defining Success

Scholarship Donor Reflects on Relationships, Faculty Influence

By Sarayu Sundar

In the three decades since Rahul Mehta graduated with a computer science degree from the University of Houston, he has started and sold many technology companies. He then launched the Mehta Family Foundation with worldwide charitable efforts, including funding scholarships for Bauer College students.

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The Gift of Sales

Sales Institute Executive Director Focuses on Relationship Building

By Wendell Brock

West Virginia-born and Florida-raised, Randy Webb came to Houston in 1991 as president of Uncle Ben's Inc. By then, the Florida State University graduate had already made history at the Dial Corporation (where at 29 he became the youngest corporate officer on record) and served as vice president of sales for M&M/Mars.

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Enjoy the Ride

Bauer College Board Chair Reflects on Journey from Student to Alumnus and Now, Supporter

By Jessica Navarro

Paul Peacock is on a mission.

The 1981 BBA alumnus and retired PwC partner leads the Bauer College Board, a group of more than 40 executives and entrepreneurs who advise Dean Latha Ramchand.

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Bauer Energy Center Named for Energy Exec

Energy Executive and Alumnus Joe Gutierrez Makes Gift to Support Bauer’s Energy Management Institute

By Jessica Navarro

Energy executive Joe Gutierrez has made a gift to name the Global Energy Management Institute at the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.

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Gessner Endowment Supports Sales Students

Gift Recognizes Top Sales Students

By Amanda Sebesta

Andy (BBA ’68) and Barbara Gessner have made a gift that will support two student initiatives in Bauer College’s Program for Excellence in Selling — The Andy and Barbara Gessner Sales Program Top Salesperson Awards and the Andy and Barbara Gessner Sales Competition Team Endowment.

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UH Bauer College Announces Naming of Stagner Sales Excellence Institute

Mattress Firm CEO Stephen Stagner Supports Nation’s Leading Sales Program

By Amanda Sebesta

The college's sales program is now known as the Stephen Stagner Sales Excellence Institute.

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Cantu Can Do

Valley Businessman and Philanthropist Has Led Growth in Developing Region

By Wendell Brock

When Alonzo Cantu (BBA ’78) enrolled at the University of Houston, he thought he wanted to be a pharmacist.

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Loss and Triumph

From Aqua-Maid to Entrepreneur, Astronaut’s Widow Proves Herself a Shrewd Business Executive and Generous College Benefactor

By Wendell Brock

Many years ago, Beth Williams left her North Carolina home for a life of adventure. And boy, did she find it.

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Smokin' Hot Volunteers

Successful Father-and-Son Alumni Give Back to UH Through Cougar Cookers

By Wendell Brock

The next time you take in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s opening weekend cook-off, get a whiff of sweet barbecue smoke in your nostrils, look up at the University of Houston flag soaring in the sky and tip your Stetson to the Cougar Cookers.

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Calculating Kindness

J. David Ahola Scholarship Honors Memory of Accounting Lecturer

By Amanda Sebesta

J. David Ahola grew up accustomed to hard work. His family came to North America from Finland, settling in Northern Ontario where Ahola was born.

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Family First

Daniels Family Creates Legacy through Scholarship Endowment

By Amanda Sebesta

If you ask Lawrence Donald Daniels — known as LD to his friends — you’re nothing without family.

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