As the population in Dallas and North Texas continues to surge, so does the need for health systems to meet the challenge of providing care while, at the same time, focusing on the importance of collaboration and partnerships throughout the industry.

In this episode of the Forging the Future of Business Education podcast, presented by SMU Cox School of Business in partnership with the Dallas Business Journal, three expert guests challenge the myth that leaders in the healthcare industry are disconnected. 

Our guests are:

• Amy Goad, managing director at Sendero Consulting
• Brett Stauffer, M.D., chief quality officer at Baylor Scott & White Health
• Lisa Tran, managing director of corporate engagement, executive education at SMU Cox School of Business

“There is collaboration happening across the board,” Goad says, “and we are seeing that the more that happens, the better the outcomes.” 

Business education programs, says Tran, help those in health care adapt to proliferating industry demands – through courses on such topics as change management, and forging connections between the industry and external partners including C-suite leaders.

“We’re not touching patients directly,” Tran says about SMU Cox School of Business, “but impacting them indirectly.”

Listen for more insights from:

• Brett Stauffer on what “increasingly sophisticated” healthcare consumers want (5:17)
• Amy Goad on being a leader in healthcare innovation and collaboration (23:00)

Learn more about the SMU Cox School of Business Healthcare Leadership Initiative.

Regulators and consumers worldwide are pushing businesses to analyze their energy usage and address climate-related risks. Such interest is one of the catalysts for the energy market’s ongoing transition to a business model rooted in sustainability.

In this episode of the Forging the Future of Business Education podcast, presented by SMU Cox School of Business in partnership with the Dallas Business Journal, two expert guests dispel two topical myths: Energy markets, particularly in Texas, are driven by oil and gas; and climate-related risks are solely a concern for the oil-and-gas industry. 

Our guests are:

• Ken Hersh, executive-in-residence, SMU Cox School of Business; president and CEO, George W. Bush Presidential Center, and co-founder and former CEO of NGP Energy Capital Management
• Kumar Venkataraman, professor of finance and Maguire Chair in Energy Management at the Cox School of Business, and academic director of the Maguire Energy Institute and the Kyle Miller Energy program

The current “all-time record of global oil and gas demand” persists, says Hersh, but the U.S. and Texas are leaders in diversifying energy sources. 

SMU Cox Master of Science degree program in energy and sustainability management, says Venkataraman, is equipping students for work in the evolving energy sector by “exposing them to traditional and renewable energies, energy economics and energy finance.” 

Listen for more insights from:

• Kumar Venkataraman, on the fossil fuels consumption forecast for the next 25 years (5:53)
• Ken Hersh, on what’s needed to make a difference in global energy consumption (22:25)

Find out how the SMU Cox School of Business Maguire Energy Institute supports student success.

Texas officially adopted “Friendship” as its motto in 1930. Yet many people outside its borders equate the state with deceptively hostile messages like “Don’t mess with Texas” – which is, ironically, the slogan for its litter prevention campaign launched in 1986. 

In this episode of the Forging the Future of Business Education podcast, presented by SMU Cox School of Business in partnership with the Dallas Business Journal, four Dallas-area experts dispel the myths that Texas lacks warmth and hospitality, and that business schools like SMU Cox are rooted in a culture of competition rather than collaboration.

Our guests are:

• Liz Brailsford, president and CEO, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
• Lynn McBee, CEO, Young Women’s Preparatory Network
• Julie Maass, assistant dean, SMU Cox Graduate Student Enrollment and Engagement
• Debbie Macedonia, assistant dean, SMU Cox Full-Time MBA and Master’s graduate admissions 

Texas, says Liz Brailsford, is now a beacon for transplants across the country and abroad. 

“Last year we had 418 people move here every single day,” Brailsford says. “That is testament to the friendly culture, the inviting culture that we have in this region.”

That growth also applies to the diverse, supportive community at SMU Cox which, says Debbie Macedonia, “has been very intentional with the structure of our business school and allowing students to each succeed within their own goals, both academic and professional. Sometimes people think, ‘Oh, academics, we’re fighting for the good grades, or we’re fighting for the great jobs,’ but here at SMU Cox, collaboration exists.”

Listen for more insights from:

• Lynn McBee, on the entrepreneurial spirit in Dallas (9:36)
• Julie Maass, on SMU Cox’s “unbridled venture project” (15:53)

What can you expect at SMU Cox School of Business? Find out here.

Entrepreneurs who launch startups don’t need to enroll in business school, right? 

Many experts say otherwise – especially if entrepreneurs want to create successful, sustainable companies.

In this episode of Forging the Future of Business Education podcast, presented by SMU Cox School of Business in partnership with the Dallas Business Journal, four guests debunk the myth that entrepreneurs don’t need to earn MBAs, while providing perspective on the business school’s role in supporting emerging enterprises and Dallas’ robust business ecosystem.

Our guests are:

• Helmuth Ludwig, SMU Cox professor of practice of Strategy and Entrepreneurship; co-director, SMU Hart Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
• Joshua Taylor, managing director, SMU Cox William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Christian Kim, SMU Cox MBA candidate class of ’26; president, SMU Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club
• Morganne Stewart, MBA class of ’24; past president, SMU Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club

“At SMU Cox, we provide formal education, which gives you all the basics on finances,” said Ludwig. “But at SMU Cox, we enhance classroom teaching with more experiential learning. It’s done in a safe environment, and that’s the exciting part about this advanced education.”

Stewart applied to SMU Cox after launching her own company. “I needed someone to come in and explain to me how to run a business,” said Stewart, a longtime creative director. “Thankfully, SMU Cox just really opened my eyes to being able to do more and be more within my company.”

Like Stewart, Christian Kim is a current entrepreneur who’s benefited from the support he’s received at SMU Cox. “The environment, faculty and students here at SMU Cox definitely want to help you out to take your business idea from zero to one,” Kim said.

Listen to this episode to learn about:

• Dallas’ U.S. and global startup rankings (8:04)
• The Big iDeas competition at SMU (10:59)

Learn how you can develop critical entrepreneurial skills at SMU Cox School of Business.

Dallas’ connection to the oil industry is indisputable. But the city’s economy and business sector are no longer solely defined by the energy industry. 

In this episode of Forging the Future of Business Education podcast, presented by SMU Cox School of Business, in partnership with the Dallas Business Journal, the growth and diversification of industries in Dallas will be discussed by Shane Goodwin, associate dean, graduate programs and executive education of the business school, and Dale Petroskey, president and CEO at the Dallas Regional Chamber. 

“From AT&T to Frito-Lay to American Airlines to Texas Instruments, the industry diversity here is so different than most cities. We have a lot of everything because we’re a big economy,” said Petroskey. 

That robust economy depends on a workforce that aligns with employer needs. For SMU Cox School of Business, this means ensuring students are not just job ready but are prepared for the future.

“We want to make sure we’re building resiliency into their skill set today to help propel them into that C-suite or a leadership position;” said Goodwin.

Listen to this episode to learn about:

• The types of talent and skills employers are seeking (5:56)
• How the Cox School of Business meets students’ needs (12:30)
• Economic and diversification trends (17:35)
• How new arrivals can assimilate into the community (22:42)

Discover how SMU Cox School of Business is shaping the workforce of today and the future.

Cheerleaders, cowboys and barbecue – check. Global companies, explosive economic growth and the SMU Cox School of Business – also check. Dallas has all of that, and more.

In this episode of the Forging the Future of Business Education podcast, presented by SMU Cox School of Business in partnership with the Dallas Business Journal, Matthew B. Myers, dean of the business school, and Jim Bryan, associate dean of the business school’s BBA programs, discuss the parallel trajectory of the city and SMU Cox. 

Dallas does a lot of breaking of Texas stereotypes for people who are not from Texas and have one perception of what we are,” said Bryan. They come to Dallas, and they realize that we really are a very cosmopolitan city.”

“There’s a real excitement about the future of Texas and Dallas,” said Myers. “We at SMU Cox are extraordinarily excited to be a part of that.”

Listen to this episode to learn about:

• The influx of venture capital firms to the area (5:57)
• SMU’s big move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) (19:03)
• Renovation of the business school (20:50)

Discover why SMU Cox School of Business is growing in international stature.

When most picture Dallas, images of football, cheerleaders and cowboys are top of mind.

That’s not the Dallas of today.

Welcome to Forging the Future of Business Education. A new podcast brought to you by SMU Cox School of Business and the Dallas Business Journal.

Each episode, join me, Ollie Chandhok, publisher of the Dallas Business Journal, as I go in depth with leaders from North Texas and the SMU Cox School of Business about the changing landscape in the “Big D.”

We’ll bust all the myths about Dallas, cover wide-ranging topics from student needs and gender gaps to building up the Business School and connecting to a City on the Rise.

Think you know Dallas? Think again.

Subscribe now at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to get updated on the latest episodes.