Dallas World Salute Grants Named Professorship in International Strategy

By Paula Felps

Professorship recognizes group's efforts to promote Dallas as an
international city and SOM's expertise in international management


With a donation of $100,000, the Dallas World Salute Board of Directors
has made possible the Dallas World Salute Professorship in International
Strategy. The contribution, made to The School of Management in January,
will be matched by The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).

"From our view, The University of Texas at Dallas has a great position in
the community," says R. Jay Powell III, chairman of Dallas World Salute.
"The school is active in technology and also has a strong international
presence. Our emphasis has always been on the international side of
things, and we thought it would be the ideal use of our funds."

The professor the school names to the post will be an expert in global
strategy, and his or her research presence will augment the efforts of the
City of Dallas and the Greater Dallas Chamber in the international arena.

Dallas World Salute (DWS) was formed in the 1980s by the mayor's office
with the goal of heightening the profile of Dallas as an international
city. The mayor appointed members, and DWS operated as a nonprofit entity
that received funds from civic organizations and private donations. It was
first part of the city's Office of Protocol and later operated under the
Dallas Office of International Affairs and Economic Development.

Longtime board member and legal counsel Henry Gilchrist recalls that,
working with mayors such as Starke Taylor and Annette Strauss, DWS
achieved some ambitious goals. During its early years, it organized such
events as a yearlong Salute to Greece, a celebration of the 500th
anniversary of Columbus discovering America, and a Salute to Japan. Dallas
World Salute programs in the Dallas Independent School District emphasized
the international aspects of Dallas, and DWS brought World Cup soccer
matches to Dallas.

"Our mission to promote Dallas as an international city fits in well with
the international scope of The School of Management at The University of
Texas at Dallas," says Mr. Gilchrist, who is also co-founder of the
Dallas-based law firm Jenkens and Gilchrist. "In recent years, however,
Dallas World Salute has not been as active, and we felt it was time to do
something significant for the community. Creating a professorship at the
university was a great opportunity."

UTD's willingness and ability to match the DWS contribution, Mr. Gilchrist
says, also played heavily into the decision to earmark the funds for the
professorship. "We wanted to preserve the name of Dallas World Salute in
some way, because we felt that was important. We felt the mission of The
School of Management at UTD was compatible with the goals we've always had
for Dallas World Salute."

Diane Seay McNulty, Ph.D., The School of Management's associate dean for
external affairs and corporate development and former DWS chairwoman, says
the professorship is significant because it recognizes the importance of a
continued pursuit of international strategy.

"Also, the fact that our efforts in this area are being recognized by
those outside The University of Texas at Dallas is extremely important,"
she says. "We were known for our internationalism and global economics
long before other schools in Texas. It's something that we've been working
on since the late 1970s."

Hasan Pirkul, Ph.D., dean of The School of Management, says that the DWS
contribution confirms UTD's role as a leader in global studies.

"International studies is very important for us," he says. "We set
globalization as one of our directives because it is so important to the
Dallas area. We have an outstanding program for international studies, and
this professorship will further strengthen our efforts in this area."

The concentration of multinational companies in the Telecom Corridor, the
complex of major multinational technology corporations located at the
convergence of Dallas, Richardson and Plano, alone is evidence of the
strength of Dallas as a major player in international trade, Dean Pirkul
adds. Alcatel, which is headquartered locally, is a French company, and
Nortel and Ericsson are among the international companies that have built
their U.S. headquarters in Richardson.

"Greater Dallas is a major metropolitan area with a significant amount of
international trade," Dean Pirkul notes. "Many multinational and U.S.
businesses are operating out of Dallas, and our international studies
program is very important for these companies as the source of a trained
workforce and talented expertise. Then you add the amount of trade that is
taking place here-it's a powerhouse."