Two graduates of the executive MBA (EMBA) program at the University of Texas-Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSM) have established an endowed professorship in honor of former professor John F. McCracken.
Since graduation in 2005, Jindal EMBA alumni Mindy Jones and Steve Lewis have put helping others at the center of their philanthropic and entrepreneurial goals. Recently, Jones and Lewis have helped establish an endowed professorship at JSM through their company, Pyxis Care Management.
The professorship has been established in honor of the graduates’ former professor, John F. McCracken, who remains a clinical professor of healthcare management at JSM. He is additionally the director for the Alliance for Medical Management Education, a graduate business program for physicians. He has also made student mentorship a high priority throughout his career at UT Dallas. According to Jones, her quarterly visits with McCracken—whether he served as sounding board or strategist—allowed her to build her entrepreneurial career. With the new professorship, Jones and Lewis hope to create new opportunities for up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
“I’m deeply honored and most appreciative for the creation of a new professorship in my name,” McCracken said. “The Jindal School and the students I’ve had the honor of teaching have been an inspiration in my life, and their recognition means the world to me.”
The gift from Jones and Lewis will be the first endowment in support of healthcare management at JSM. Endowed professorships are one of the highest academic awards a faculty member can receive from their university. With such opportunities in place, UT Dallas can attract and retain even more incredible faculty members who will continue to support JSM’s legacy of student experience and academic research.