RICHARDSON, Texas (Dec. 19, 2006) — The Executive MBA (EMBA) program at The University of Texas at Dallas has received international recognition for its initiatives in executive and professional coaching from the International Coach Federation (ICF). The program was one of only two recipients of international PRISM awards given by the organization in 2006.
ICF confers the PRISM award to recognize organizations that have enhanced excellence and business achievement through their commitment to professional coaching as a leadership strategy.
The UT Dallas EMBA program began offering executive coaching in 2004. Dr. Jasper Arnold, director of the program, explained that each of the program’s 80 students is assigned their own executive coach with whom they work throughout the duration of the 21–month course.
“We believe that success in business requires much more than simply mastering such business subjects as marketing, finance and strategy,” Arnold said. “Executives also need well-developed interpersonal, leadership and self-management skills, and these are best learned in a personalized manner that is tailored to the needs of the individual. I believe the UT Dallas EMBA program is the first in the world to provide each student with a professional, executive coach for the duration of its course.”
Pamela Richarde, president of ICF, had high praise for the UT Dallas program.
“The idea of bringing coaching to the academic environment and to executive MBA students deserves notice and consideration,” Richarde said. “The EMBA program at UT Dallas introduces future business leaders to the benefits of coaching in an innovative and visionary way that makes coaching truly a feature of everyday life for the business executive.”
Many of the 13 executive coaches who work with the EMBA students are graduates of the UT Dallas executive and professional coaching program, directed by UT Dallas’ Dr. Robert Hicks. Hicks, who also founded the coaching program, manages coaching of the EMBA students throughout their studies at the university.
Both the EMBA program and the executive and professional coaching program are offered through UT Dallas’ School of Management Executive Education Center, which received a regional PRISM Award from the North Texas chapter of ICF in February.
Dr. David Springate, associate dean for executive education at UT Dallas, said the school considers executive and professional coaching an important part of its leadership curriculum.
“Our EMBA students gain from the enhanced professional and personal development opportunities these coaching initiatives offer,” Springate said. The positive influence and culture of coaching touches all of their organizations, and our students are positively influencing their clients and the companies they interact with, as well.”
More information about the UT Dallas EMBA program is available at http://som.utdallas.edu/emba. More information about UT Dallas’ program in executive and professional coaching can be found at http://som.utdallas.edu/executive/coaching.
ICF named Verizon Business as the winner of the second award.
About the School of Management
Faculty in the School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas rank 33rd in research productivity nationwide, based on publications in the top 24 business journals spanning all areas of business. Financial Times, using a broader set of 40 journals, ranks UT Dallas’ management faculty 30th worldwide. Financial Times also ranks The UT Dallas Executive MBA program 48th in the world and 22nd in the U.S, and U.S. News and World Report lists the university’s fulltime Cohort MBA program 54th nationwide and 25th at public colleges and universities in the United States. The School of Management is the largest of UT Dallas’ seven schools, with an enrollment of nearly 4,700, of which 2,500 are graduate students.
About UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.