The TCU Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University announces the appointment of Ann Bluntzer, Ph.D., associate professor of professional practice, management and leadership, as executive director of the TCU Ralph Lowe Energy Institute.
FORT WORTH, Texas, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The TCU Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University today announced that Ann Bluntzer, Ph.D., associate professor of professional practice, management and leadership, has been appointed executive director of the TCU Ralph Lowe Energy Institute.
As executive director, Bluntzer works in concert with TCU's Ralph Lowe Energy Institute Board of Advisors, which she has served on since 2013, to provide strategic direction and leadership for the program, including its award-winning Energy MBA and Energy Certificate.
Housed in the nationally-ranked TCU Neeley School of Business, home of the No. 1 ranked Energy MBA program in Texas and No. 2 in the United States by Oil and Gas Investor magazine, as well as No. 1 ranked MBA Faculty in the world by The Economist, the institute is dedicated to developing tomorrow's energy leaders for a sustainable future. This is achieved through its focus on academics and innovation in the classroom, research and outreach through building relationships with the energy and business industries.
"Dr. Bluntzer's deep experience with and passion for energy, combined with her extensive network among domestic and global industry leaders, positions the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute to further advance TCU's distinctive contributions to the energy space," said Daniel Pullin, John V. Roach Dean of the TCU Neeley School of Business. "Likewise, as an award-winning professor, she brings an infectious enthusiasm to our goal of preparing students to lead in this all-important industry. While we are proud of TCU's rich history of energy research and education, Dr. Bluntzer's leadership is poised to extend the breadth and depth of our impact in the time ahead."
Bluntzer's passion for the energy industry, along with 23 years of experience working and teaching in the organizational management space, enhances TCU's ability to prepare students to lead in energy as they work arm-in-arm with industry partners. In her time at TCU, she has helped create and fund 10 annual $10,000 energy scholarships, which enabled the Neeley School to recruit top students and greatly expand student financial aid.
"I am honored to serve as the director of the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute," Bluntzer said. "TCU students, alumni, faculty and industry partners have an impressive and storied history with the energy sector. My intention is to honor that legacy while seeking new opportunities to grow TCU's relevance as a global energy thought leader."
Key to TCU's distinctive edge in energy education is a forward focus on providing students a global view of this critical industry. In early January, Bluntzer and Pullin led a group of TCU Energy MBA students on a week-long study abroad trip to France, where they took an in-depth, first-hand look into the energy industry through an international lens. This unique opportunity provided TCU Energy MBA students with the valuable insights and confidence necessary to lead and compete on the global energy stage.
Bluntzer is credited with developing Faculty Fellows, a fellowship program to enrich the institute and support its mission to prepare and develop tomorrow's leaders for an economical, sustainable and reliable energy future. She developed TCU's graduate energy curriculum, which operates alongside the recently launched Sustainable Energy and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Certificate. Recently elected to serve on the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, a prestigious group of leaders from industry, academia and government, Bluntzer began her career as a Foreign Service Officer and has been teaching the Geopolitics of Energy course in the MBA program for eight years.
Ralph Lowe Energy Institute to host TCU Global Energy Symposium
Further advancing TCU's status as a global energy thought leader, the institute will host the TCU Global Energy Symposium Wednesday, March 30, featuring industry and academic experts discussing quickly developing topics such as the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on energy markets and resulting business models, short- and long-term expectations for the global supply of oil and natural gas and how energy leaders are managing considerations around sustainable energy solutions.
About the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute
The Ralph Lowe Energy Institute develops tomorrow's energy leaders for a sustainable future by focusing on academics and innovation in the classroom, research and outreach through building relations with the energy and business industries.
Mary Ralph Lowe, a member of the TCU Board of Trustees, made a significant philanthropic investment to help endow and name the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute as a tribute to her late father. Her gift also supports Lead On: A Campaign for TCU, the university's most ambitious philanthropic campaign in its nearly 150-year history. For decades, businesswoman and philanthropist Mary Ralph Lowe has played a vital role in the life of TCU. Lowe, who now manages her family's energy interests as CEO of Maralo, LLC, as well as working cattle ranches in the Hill Country, attended both TCU and Briarcliff College. She is a member of TCU's Board of Trustees, a Founder of the Addison & Randolph Clark Society and a KinderFrogs Ambassador. She also served on the Chancellor's Advisory Council, the Leadership Gifts Committee and the Trustee Campaign Planning Committee.
In the early 1930s, Missouri-born Ralph Lowe came to Midland, Texas, where he opened and successfully operated a Texaco Station before turning his talents to oil exploration. Using a contract cable tool rig, he completed his first oil well in June 1940. From then until his death in 1965, Mr. Lowe participated in more than 500 wells in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico. As a child, Mary Ralph analyzed oil maps, studied geology and learned about the business from her father. He died while she was a TCU student, and a few years later, she took over running the family's oil and gas business. Ralph Lowe was elected to The Petroleum Museum Hall of Fame in 1973.
About the TCU Neeley School of Business
The nationally ranked TCU Neeley School of Business is committed to fostering an inclusive, scholarly community composed of individuals who, through their diverse and sometimes competing perspectives, contribute to a free and intellectually challenging culture where students, faculty, staff and alumni have equitable opportunities and can forge paths toward personal and professional growth. We build upon the momentum generated by living the Neeley Promise: The Neeley School of Business unleashes human potential with leadership at the core and innovation in our spirit. For more information, visit TCU Neeley.
About Texas Christian University
Founded in 1873, TCU is a world-class, values-centered private university based in Fort Worth, Texas. The university comprises 10 schools and colleges offering 114 areas of undergraduate study, 60 master's level programs, and 38 areas of doctoral study. Total enrollment stands at 11,938, including 10,222 undergraduates and 1,716 graduate students. The student/faculty ratio is 13.6:1, and 88 percent of TCU's 699 full-time faculty members hold the highest degree in their discipline. TCU consistently ranks among the top universities and colleges in the nation, and the Horned Frog family consists of more than 97,195 living alumni. For more information, please visit TCU's website.
Lead On: A Campaign for TCU
In October 2019, TCU launched the community phase of Lead On: A Campaign for TCU. The $1 billion goal of this campaign will strengthen TCU's people, programs and endowment for the future. To date, more than 50,000 donors have contributed more than $777.7 million. For more information, visit Lead On: A Campaign for TCU.
Media Contact
Megan Korns Russell, Texas Christian University, 1 310-383-2882, [email protected]
SOURCE Texas Christian University
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