NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2005

Contact: Angie Joe
713.743.8153 (office)
713.617.7138 (pager)
ajoe@uh.edu

POWERING UP: NATION’S FIRST EMBA
IN GLOBAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT LAUNCHED AT UH
Program Helps Provide Workers with Technical Backgrounds
with Management, Finance Skills

HOUSTON, Aug. 23, 2005 – Located in the “energy capital of the world,” the University of Houston has established itself as a leading institution in energy-related scholarship and research. Now, UH is taking another major step forward in that field.

The C. T. Bauer College of Business has launched the nation’s first executive master of business administration degree in global energy management (GEMBA).

The college designed this specialized curriculum to provide industry workers with the knowledge and skills necessary to advance their careers in the global energy sector. Courses include studies of the energy value chain, international energy finance and emerging energy technologies, along with an 8- to 10-day international residency.

Executive master of business administration (EMBA) programs differ from the typical master of business administration (MBA) program in that the EMBA allows professionals to obtain their degree in a shorter amount of time while progressing in their career. Additionally, students work in teams for the length of the program, encouraging peer learning and mirroring everyday workplace scenarios.

“We created the GEMBA program for those with technical backgrounds who need management and finance skills in order to advance to the senior executive level,” said P. David Shields, professor of accounting and associate dean of graduate and professional programs. “With a firm grasp of indispensable tools like derivatives and real options, our GEMBA students can fast-track their careers. At this time, there is no other opportunity for energy executives to acquire these skills, so we are filling a critical niche.”

The GEMBA program joins an impressive roster of initiatives at UH that range from groundbreaking research in electric power generation, fuel cell development, diesel emission reduction and ultra-deep water drilling technology to several academic programs in petrochemical engineering, and energy-related finance, accounting and law.
“There is no other program of its kind in the country,” Shields said. “Other universities offer energy courses, but they don’t have comparable programs in place.”

GEMBA faculty consists of a broad mix, including Stephen Arbogast, a retired treasurer of ExxonMobil Chemical Company; Steven Koch, a former senior vice president of Pennzoil-Quaker State; Zlatica Kraljevic, a former director of business development for Halliburton; and Lane Sloan, a retired CEO of Shell Chemical.

“What attracted me to GEMBA was the specialization of the program,” said recent enrollee Lance Ramesh, vice president of oil and gas banking at Commercebank. “As a commercial banker, I work with upstream and midstream energy companies. Not only will this degree set me apart from MBA generalists, but it will also help me to better understand my clients’ business operations and the workings of the industry.”

Bauer College is home to the city’s original EMBA program.

The average GEMBA student is 37 years old with 12 years of professional experience in engineering, sales, entrepreneurship and law.

Classes started July 21. Students will earn their degree in 22 months.

For more information about the program, visit http://www.bauer.uh.edu/embagem/index.html.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

About the Bauer College of Business
The C.T. Bauer College of Business has been in operation for more than 60 years at the University of Houston main campus. Through its five academic departments, the college offers a full-range of undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees in business. The Bauer College is fully accredited by the AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In August 2000, Houston business leader and philanthropist Charles T. (Ted) Bauer endowed the College of Business with a $40 million gift. In recognition of his generosity, the college was renamed the C.T. Bauer College of Business.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.