McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin

08/31/2026

We are so proud of Victoria Hunter, B.S. '26, MSF Class of '27, who closed out her final year as a Longhorn softball player in the best way possible: a national championship and a trip to the ESPYs.

In June, Hunter helped our softball team win back-to-back Women's College World Series titles. Last month, ESPN invited her and nine teammates to represent Texas at the 2026 ESPYs at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Before pivoting to finance at McCombs, Hunter earned her bachelor's in public relations from Moody College of Communication. She said the confidence she built through McCombs coursework and alumni connections helped her make the most of the event, from the private athlete lounge to her red carpet moment.

"Say yes to opportunities, even when they're outside your comfort zone," Hunter said. "Build genuine relationships instead of networking only when you need something."

Walking the red carpet, Hunter said, felt like a full-circle moment and the perfect way to celebrate the end of her collegiate career.

Read more:

Longhorn Softball infielder and McCombs MSF student connects her ESPYs experience to her future in business

08/24/2026

Welcome back, Longhorns 🤘

08/20/2026

Calling all McCombs alumni: whether you're actively involved with us or haven't connected in a while, we want to hear from you. Take our short survey to help shape how we support you throughout your life and career, from programs and communications to career resources, events and volunteer opportunities.

It takes less than eight minutes, and everyone who completes it by Sept. 11 is eligible to win one of five McCombs swag giveaways 🤘

Take the survey here: https://mccombs.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0ig6FPktcWCyuY6?Source=Facebook

08/18/2026

Congratulations to Sarah Prescott, MBA '26, on being named a 2026 Best & Brightest Executive MBA by Poets&Quants 🤘

Sarah balanced a VP role at American Campus Communities, EMBA coursework, and parenting twin daughters through their senior year of high school, all while building the skills to land her next role in agentic AI. On why she chose McCombs: "The program combines academic rigor and real-world application, which allowed me to immediately apply what I was learning in my role."

Read her full feature:

Sarah Prescott, a graduate of the University of Texas, has been named a Poets&Quants Best & Brightest Executive MBA of 2026

08/13/2026

Two of our graduate programs are getting new names to better reflect what our students are already learning in the classroom 🤘

Starting with the Class of 2028, our Master of Science in Business Analytics becomes the Master of Science in Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. Our Master of Science in Information Technology and Management becomes the Master of Science in Business Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

McCombs ranked No. 1 among Best Information Systems Master's Programs by U.S. News & World Report this year, a reflection of the rigor behind both programs.

Applications for both programs open Aug. 26.

10-month graduate programs renamed to highlight technical rigor and AI integration

08/12/2026

New research from David Harrison, associate dean for research at McCombs, finds that new leaders have a real shot at driving organizational change, but only if employees already believe change is needed.

Harrison and five co-authors studied leadership transitions at 112 elementary schools from 2014 to 2017. When a new principal's style matched teachers' appetite for change, standardized test scores improved significantly two years later. When teachers were satisfied with the status quo, that same style was more likely to backfire.

Fresh ideas can succeed if employees see the need but backfire if they’re happy with the status quo

08/11/2026

Shopping for a used car? New McCombs research finds that buyers often pay more attention to the first digit on the odometer than the rest of the number, a psychological quirk called left-digit bias. That means a car with 49,999 miles can sell for up to $170 more than one at 50,000 miles, even though the actual difference is minor:

Due to left-digit bias, consumers pay extra for cars just under multiples of 10,000 miles

08/10/2026

What's next starts now.

Applications for Fall 2027 entry to the Hildebrand MBA at Texas McCombs are open, across Full-Time, Weekend (Houston & Dallas), Evening (Austin), and Executive (Austin) programs.

Round 1 deadline is October 15. Get ahead of it by joining a virtual info session: Working Professional/Executive on August 14, Full-Time on August 20.

Details and registration at TexasMBAEvents.com 🤘

08/04/2026

Accounting professor Sara Toynbee built an AI tool to measure business complexity. The most complex financial reports took stocks 7.9% longer to fully price in:

New model helps investors and regulators understand complex businesses and see their positive sides

07/30/2026

A new issue of McCombs Magazine is landing in mailboxes now and is available online 🤘

Leading the Ledger Forward brings together six voices from across the profession: students, faculty, researchers, and alumni of the McCombs accounting program to explore where the field is headed. The people featured are steering Big 4 firms and venture capital, shaping regulatory policy and preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet. What emerges is a profession that has moved well beyond the numbers, with accountants now at the center of major business decisions.

The issue also marks a major milestone for the department: the naming of the Jonathan K. Shulkin Department of Accounting, made possible by alumnus Jon Shulkin's gift, along with a welcome letter from Dean Staats.

See the digital version: https://news.mccombs.utexas.edu/magazine/special-issue-2026/