MEDIA RESOURCES

Date: October 21, 2005

SMU Cox “TeamMBA” Rides to Support Cancer Survival

Dallas (SMU) — An MBA degree from SMU Cox School of Business includes more than academics; it also is about philanthropy at large. The Cox “TeamMBA” will ride in Lance Armstrong’s Ride for the Roses in Austin on October 23, in order to raise money to support cancer survival.

The Cox TeamMBA has more than 20 riders representing EMBA, PMBA, MBA MA/MBA students and alumni, along with faculty and staff. In addition, the Cox school is raising $15,000 to support cancer survivorship. The team is sponsored by GMAC^®, the organization known for the GMAT, who is providing custom TeamMBA bike jerseys and t-shirts for training to raise the visibility of MBA programs.

Launched this fall, TeamMBA is an international group founded by David A. Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC^®. A past participant in the Lance Armstrong Tour of Hope, Wilson founded the TeamMBA program to honor one of his closest friends, Ron Bliss – a man who survived six and a half years as a prisoner in Hanoi and later died of cancer. Wilson also realized this would be an excellent way for MBA students to support the communities in which they study and work.

“In our first event, the Tour of Hope, we had over 67 riders from schools around the world, including Yale, MIT, UCLA, Georgetown, London Business School, and HEC Paris,” noted Wilson. “Through that initial effort, we raised more than $90,000. SMU Cox and TeamMBA will continue this momentum through the Ride for the Roses. Through TeamMBA, the public will see yet another example of MBAs giving back to their communities.”

The Ride for the Roses offers cyclists the opportunity to join Lance Armstrong and many others in raising cancer awareness and funds for research. The ride is not a race. Much like the battle against cancer, it’s about endurance more than speed. Participants may choose their distance to ride – 7, 25, 40, 70 or 100 miles.

Led by Dr. Marci Armstrong, associate dean of masters programs at SMU Cox and member of the GMAC® board of directors, Armstrong immediately recognized the value of expanding Wilson’s vision for TeamMBA, and she was further inspired through her personal connection to cancer and respect for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

“As an avid cyclist and a long-time fan of Lance Armstrong (no relation), I’ll be riding in honor of my husband who has won a very challenging battle with cancer and in honor of my father-in-law who is currently undergoing chemotherapy,” said Armstrong. “This is also a wonderful opportunity for Cox School MBAs to give back in a very positive way. The Lance Armstrong Foundation promotes hope, advocacy, education, prevention, support, and survival – in addition to research – for those who are fighting cancer, and afterwards.”

About SMU Cox

SMU’s Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, including BBA, full-time MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), and Executive Education. The school also offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, ranging from its Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, Maguire Energy Institute, and American Airlines Global Leadership Program (AAGLP) to its Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program and an international alumni network of more than 29,000. SMU Cox is ranked among the top business schools nationally and internationally by major publications, including BusinessWeek, Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report.