Letter from the Dean

I remember watching the moon landing on TV in 1969, and this “Star Trek” fan was disappointed. Is this as far as we have traveled? Finally, in 2024, I feel like the future I imagined has come into our present.   

During this “Year of AI” at UT, we ensure that our graduates are ready to embrace change and thrive. In this new issue of McCombs magazine, you will see how our faculty members are building artificial intelligence learning into the curriculum, and you will learn about their research in AI, such as the work being done by Gizem Yalcin Williams, whose article was recently published in the Harvard Business Review. You’ll also read about three bold alumni thinkers who are using AI to lead in their respective industries: robotics, marketing, and health care.  

To prepare our students for this changing world — and a world they will change — we will begin site preparation this summer for a new future-oriented business building. When it opens in 2028, Mulva Hall will be the new home for undergraduate education, just as Rowling Hall is for graduate students. Student classrooms and experiences will occur on the first six floors, while the faculty will be in a tower reaching 17 floors. Mulva Hall will unify our business campus, creating a prominent gateway to the Forty Acres at Guadalupe Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.   

In this issue, you will meet the building’s namesakes, Miriam and Jim Mulva, BBA ’68, MBA ’68. Jim is a former chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips. Nearly a decade ago, the Mulvas had a vision to define the UT undergraduate business experience for the next generation. Through their foundation, they donated $40 million to help make that vision a reality.   

We are grateful to the Mulvas for investing in the future of business education and to all the other early investors who have helped us raise nearly $120 million toward our $150 million goal.   

We’d love to have you join us. Take this chance to set the course for educating business students at our great University! We expect to submit our final construction documents to the UT System Board of Regents at its November 2024 meeting, and we need to have our funding in place by then.  

I have learned that with your support, there isn’t anything we can’t do.  

With my warmest Hook ’em, 

Lillian F. Mills, Dean  

Lois and Richard Folger Dean’s Leadership Chair 
The Beverly H. and William P. O’Hara Endowed Chair in Business 
Centennial Chair in Business Education Leadership