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 universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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