KU Connection

School of Business News

Business school welcomes alumni for Homecoming
New award program assists entrepreneurial students
Robert DeYoung joins the business school faculty

Business school welcomes alumni for Homecoming

The KU School of Business will hold a Class Reunion and Homecoming Celebration during Homecoming weekend, Saturday, Nov. 3. Recognizing graduation in increments of five years, the event will honor alumni whose graduation year ended in a two or seven.

The festivities will begin at 9:30 a.m., two hours before the kickoff of the KU vs. Nebraska football game. Alumni will meet in the KU Business tent on the Hill, with plenty of food available. Dean William Fuerst and many of the school’s faculty will be there to greet alumni.

Graduates of the following classes are invited to attend: 1932, 1937, 1942, 1947, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007.

If you would like to attend this special event, please contact Monica Lemmons at mlemmons@ku.edu or 785-864-7369. To purchase tickets to the football game, contact the KU Athletics ticket office at 800-34-HAWKS (800-344-2957).

New award program assists entrepreneurial students

This fall, entrepreneurial minded students throughout KU have the opportunity to compete for funding to start their own businesses. The inaugural Mark L. Morris Jr. New Venture Development Award will be given to 10 deserving business plans submitted by KU undergraduate students. The competition is under the direction of Wally Meyer, director of entrepreneurship programs for the KU School of Business.

The competition will take place in two stages, with all participants invited to submit written business plans before Thursday, Nov. 29. Ten plans will be selected to move to the final round and each will receive $200. More importantly, they will be invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of financiers, company executives and student officers of the KU Entrepreneurship Club. The top four plans will each receive an additional $2,000 and the winner will earn an additional grand prize of $5,000 for a total of $7,200.

The development award is funded by a $250,000 gift from Morgan Creek Capital Management of Chapel Hill, N.C., in honor of Mark L. Morris Jr. Morris, who attended KU from 1952 to 1954 and died in January at the age of 72. Morris was a Topeka veterinarian who, with the help of his family, was the first to link pet health and nutrition. Their findings let to the development of numerous products including Hill’s Prescription Diet and Hill’s Science Diet pet foods.

In addition to the $250,000 gift, Morris’ son David and his family contributed $25,000 to the award.

Additional information can be found at www.business.ku.edu/NewVenture.

Robert DeYoung joins the business school faculty

Robert (Bob) DeYoung recently joined the business school as the Capitol Federal Professor in Financial Markets and Institutions. Prior to joining the school, DeYoung was the Associate Director of Research, Division of Insurance and Research, for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He has also held positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

DeYoung earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University-Camden.

Visit the School of Business Web site for more information.