Kudos for an awesome 2011, UBC. Let’s make 2012 even better!

Dear UBC Family,

In my family, my dad uses the annual Christmas card as an excuse to brag about the family. I happen to think my dad’s idea is a good one, so here goes.

Seven months ago during exec elections, I said this would be UBC’s best year ever because of YOU, our members. I certainly expected big things, but I had no idea just how much time, effort, and passion you would put into making McCombs the best it can be. Judging by every metric I can think of, you have absolutely blown me away this year. Just think about it:

• Think about the 300+ incoming students who were welcomed into our McCombs family with a full day of exploring Austin and meeting their peers at the best McCombs Kickoff we’ve ever had.
• Think about the nearly 3000 UT students who got to hear from company executives like George Bodenheimer, Gary Kelly, Brian Gallagher, and Larry Young this semester thanks to our VIP committee and volunteers.
• Think about the 15+ McCombs Affiliated Student Organizations who have been able to decrease their web-hosting costs and improve the quality of their sites thanks to our Tech Team.
• Think about all those in our community who benefited from your generosity at Habitat for Humanity, Longhorn School Bus, Best Buddies, Austin Green City Festival, and countless other community service events.
• Think about the scores of McCombs students who got to visit top companies like Bain, BCG, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan on our Dallas and New York Company Field Trips.
• Think about all the McCombs students who had the chance to put their education into practice and solve a real business challenge during our Fall Case Competition.
• Think about the 60+ undergraduate students who got to shadow MBA students during our most successful MBA for a Day event ever.
• Think about the BC Gladiators’ IM Volleyball domination and the best cheering section I’ve ever seen in Gregory.
• Think about the hundreds of parents who got to see what McCombs is all about during Family Weekend.
• Think about the hundreds of McCombs students who got to learn about fascinating faculty research through our Faculty Research Presentations. And don’t forget about all the thank you notes students wrote to their professors!
• Think about the myriad ways in which we represented McCombs to the University through Senate and SG voting.
• Think about the work you did to voice McCombs students’ opinions to the administration through Dean Gilligan’s State of McCombs Address and McCombs Town Hall.
• Think about the work our members are doing on the Curriculum Ad-Hoc Committee to reform and improve the McCombs academic experience.
• Last but certainly not least, think about all the fun we had during progressive dinners, the Thanksgiving feast we shared at TTTT, and the sock wars and werewolf-ing that made FYL Late Night such a hit.

And that only starts to describe the great things our organization has done this year. The full list of accomplishments could no doubt go on forever, but what I really want you to think about it this: All of these things and countless others were made possible this semester by YOU. When UBC does something well, it is because YOU do something well. Given our successes, then, I’d say you should be pretty darn proud of yourselves.

So whether you’re an org rep or an elected member, an FYL-er or a returner, let me say THANK YOU for taking ownership of this organization and doing such incredible work for our college. I am constantly reminded how fortunate I am to work with each of you in what is — without question — the best organization on the Forty Acres.

I hope you all find ample time to relax and spend time with your friends and family over the break — you deserve it. Plus, we’ll all need to be well-rested and re-energized in January because you’ve set the bar even higher for UBC. I can’t wait to see all the ways in which you will improve our organization and further strengthen our college and university in the coming months. Here’s to an unbelievable 2012!

Spindletop,

Daehne

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