Cox School of Business - General Information
The mission of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business is to improve its academic
programs and reputation as a top-tier business school by providing a high-quality
business education to its students and the business community, conducting research
that contributes to the understanding of business and management, and participating
in the service activities of the University and professional organizations.
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From its beginning as the Department of Commerce for Southern Methodist
University, the Edwin L. Cox School of Business has been educating the country’s
business leaders for more than 85 years.
Named in 1978 in honor of Dallas businessman Edwin L. Cox, the Cox School
has a rich heritage that began in 1920 when the SMU Board of Trustees established
a Department of Commerce at the request of the Dallas business community. In
1921, the Department of Commerce was renamed the School of Commerce, and
in 1941, the Board of Trustees established the School of Commerce as a separate
entity from the University. At this point, the School of Commerce became the
School of Business Administration and the new Bachelor of Business Administration
degree (B.B.A.) was approved by the Trustees.
The graduate program at the School of Business Administration began in 1949
with the authorization of a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program.
At that time, students were granted an M.B.A. after successfully completing 30
hours of course work and a thesis. Both the B.B.A. and the M.B.A. degree programs
are fully accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
(AACSB International). The Cox School also grants a Minor in Business Administration
and a Minor in Business to undergraduates; a Professional M.B.A.
(P.M.B.A.) and an Executive M.B.A. (E.M.B.A.); Master of Science degrees in
Accounting, Management and Entrepreneurship; a Master of Arts/Master of Business
Administration (M.A./M.B.A.); a Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration
(J.D./M.B.A.) as well as custom and open-enrollment Executive Education
certificate programs.
In 1965, the SMU Foundation for Business Administration was established.
This group of advisers has helped guide the Cox School throughout the years and
today is known as the Executive Board. Also instrumental in supporting the Cox
School are members of its two successful mentoring programs: the Associate
Board for M.B.A. students and the Business Associates Program for B.B.A. students.
These two boards involve more than 220 area business leaders who volunteer
their time and expertise to students who want to start making business connections
for the future.
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In 1952, ground was broken for the Joseph Wylie Fincher Memorial Building
for the School of Business Administration, and for years the Fincher Building
housed all activities in the Cox School. In 1987, two more buildings were added
to the Cox School Complex – the Cary M. Maguire Building and the Trammell
Crow Building.
Today the Fincher Building houses administrative and faculty offices as well as
conference and meeting rooms, while the Maguire and Crow buildings primarily
house classrooms and study rooms. Hailed as one of the most technologically advanced business learning facilities in the country, the Cox School complex has
as its hub the Business Information Center (BIC), which combines many of the
features of a traditional university library with the latest in online databases, search
tools and presentation facilities.
Through the BIC, Cox School students, faculty and staff have access to the latest
business periodicals, instantaneous market information and news retrieval services.
In addition, the BIC offers personal computers, printers and scanners for students
to use for presentations and papers.
In 2005, the Cox School opened the James M. Collins Executive Education
Center, the region’s premier resource for working professionals and executives.
The Collins Center houses the Cox School’s Executive Education programs, Executive
M.B.A. program and M.B.A. Global Programs Office, along with the Norman
E. Brinker Institute for Restaurant and Hospitality Management, the Southwestern
Graduate School of Banking and the KPMG Institute for Corporate Governance.
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The Edwin L. Cox B.B.A. Leadership Institute
and Business Leadership Center
Paula Hill Strasser, Director
The Edwin L. Cox B.B.A. Leadership Institute (BLI) and Business Leadership
Center (BLC) are committed to helping students achieve professional success by
becoming more effective communicators and leaders. Established in 1991, the BLC
offers M.B.A. students more than 60 seminars taught by business practitioners
from Fortune 500 companies, medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurial ventures.
In addition to presenting seminars on traditional topics such as strategic
communication, leading with integrity and conflict resolution, the BLC offers
individualized training in several areas, including advanced presentation techniques
and business writing.
The BLI offers courses that employ a variety of instructional techniques to
impart key communication and leadership concepts and skills and expose B.B.A.
students to the real world of business. Techniques include lecture, class discussion,
self-assessments, small-group projects, role-play simulations, corporate visits and
guest speakers from the corporate and nonprofit arenas.
Executive Education
Frank R. Lloyd, Associate Dean
SMU Cox Executive Education is the region’s premier resource for advanced
leadership and management training. Executive Education offers numerous openenrollment
certificate programs covering such topics as management, leadership,
marketing, accounting and finance, energy and professional effectiveness. Programs
last from as little as a few hours to several weeks or months.
Executive Education also offers custom programs, designed to address companies’
unique business challenges. Through close collaboration among corporate clients,
Cox faculty and Executive Education staff, the school develops customized programs
that help companies achieve their goals and positive return on investment.
Executive Education also offers the Summer Business Institute (SBI), a fourweek
business certificate for nonbusiness major juniors, seniors or recent graduates.
SBI provides a solid foundation in business basics, including marketing, accounting,
finance, management and leadership. The SBI Certificate provides a valuable
credential that gives students and young professionals a leg up in today’s competitive
job market.
The Center for Marketing Management Studies
Daniel J. Howard, Director
The Center for Marketing Management Studies was created to serve as a focal
point for interaction among faculty, practitioners and students who share a common
interest in applied marketing management research and education. The center
sponsors research and educational programs in marketing management.
Since 1989, the center has sponsored the Graduate Marketing Certificate Program,
designed to provide Dallas-area business people with the latest in marketing
thought and practice. This series of sessions is held on Monday nights throughout
the school year.
The Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship
Jerry F. White, Director
Since its founding more than three decades ago, the Caruth Institute has continuously
developed innovative courses and programs to help individuals keep pace
with the dynamic, rapidly changing field of entrepreneurship. The institute currently
offers more than 18 custom-designed courses to give students the skills and
knowledge necessary to launch and manage successful entrepreneurial ventures.
Courses cover a range of topics, including starting a business, venture financing
and law of financial transactions for entrepreneurs.
In addition to its academic courses, the institute has created a number of unique
programs that enable students to experience and better understand the inner workings
of entrepreneurial ventures. Programs include the Cox M.B.A. Venture Fund,
the Southwest Venture Forum and the Dallas 100TM Awards – an annual event
that identifies and honors the 100 fastest-growing privately held companies in the
Dallas area.
The Center for Research in Real Estate
and Land Use Economics
William B. Brueggeman, Director and Real Estate Department Chair
The Center for Research in Real Estate and Land Use Economics was created
in 1984 as a research entity with a focus on major issues in the real estate industry.
It is currently engaged in a number of projects, including the federal income taxation
of housing and real estate development, real estate investment performance
in pension fund portfolios, database management and valuation in urban property
tax jurisdictions. The center also acts as a conduit for research grants and proposals
for management programs, which it conducts through the Costa Institute of Real
Estate Finance and the Folsom Institute for Development and Land Use Policy.
The Maguire Energy Institute
W. Bruce Bullock, Director
The Maguire Energy Institute promotes the study of policy, marketing and
management issues that affect oil, natural gas and electricity. Founded by Cary
Maguire, chairman and president of Maguire Oil Company, the institute is a
leading-edge resource for energy industry information and facilitates the exchange
of ideas among students, businesses, the media and government officials.
Students can participate in courses, workshops and seminars. The institute also
conducts research and analysis, publishes a quarterly newsletter on important policy
issues and focuses on exploring innovative ways to improve management of the
world’s oil and gas resources.
JCPenney Center for Retail Excellence
Edward J. Fox, Director and Marketing Professor
The JCPenney Center for Retail Excellence was created with a generous gift
from the JCPenney Company to promote, develop and integrate retail education
and practice. Today, the center is a leading source of academic expertise on consumer
shopping behavior and the effects of retailer activities on shopping
behavior.
American Airlines Center for Labor Relations and Conflict Resolution
Robin L. Pinkley, Director and Management and Organization Professor
The American Airlines Center for Labor Relations and Conflict Resolution
teaches students to successfully resolve disputes, negotiate salaries and resolve
critical business situations. Courses and research focus on partnering (aligning the
interests of both sides), proactive negotiating and adding value to negotiations to
improve outcomes. Ongoing research explores the newest and most effective techniques
in negotiation.
KPMG Institute for Corporate Governance
Wayne Shaw, Director and Accounting Professor
Made possible by an alliance with KPMG, the KPMG Institute for Corporate
Governance focuses on the importance of corporate structure and communication
channels in business organizations. Through close working relationships with many
companies, the institute develops multidisciplinary case studies and courses that
explore corporate governance and ethical decision making, preparing students to
understand the choices they make and how those choices impact the market’s
perception of a firm and its future.
The EnCap Investments and LCM Group
Alternative Asset Management Center
Brian R. Bruce, Director
Made possible by gifts from EnCap Investments and LCM Group, The EnCap
Investments and LCM Group Alternative Asset Management Center is designed
to meet the increasing demand for investment professionals in the growing field
of alternative assets, including hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, real
estate and oil and gas. The center offers courses leading to a specialization within
the finance major at the undergraduate level and a specialization within the finance
concentration at the graduate level. The courses also prepare students for the
Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) professional designation.
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