Rob Adams has been appointed the Director of the MOOT CORP Program effective September 1, 2005.

Adams is a well known Austin venture capitalist, entrepreneur, corporate executive, author, and entrepreneurship teacher. He has been involved with the MOOT CORP Program for a number of years, serving as a judge in the Finals of both the Texas and Global MOOT CORP Competitions; he has also been a member of the MOOT CORP Advisory Board since its inception.

When I was a graduate student working on my Ph.D. at Stanford, I got to know the Dean of the Graduate School of Business, Ernie Arbuckle. His philosophy was that he should "re-pot" himself about every five years.

Back in the spring as I was contemplating resigning as MOOT CORP Director, I reflected on his philosophy and concluded that a change was in both my best interests and the MOOT CORP Program's. After having directed the Program for 13 years, I am ready for new challenges and the Program will benefit from new leadership and especially Rob Adams'.

uShip, Inc. (www.uShip.com), the world's largest online marketplace for shipping and moving, has raised its first round of equity funding from Benchmark Capital.

Bob Kagle, a founding partner of Benchmark Capital and an early investor in eBay, has joined its board of directors. The details of the funding were not disclosed.

One of the major responsibilities of the MOOT CORP Director is to raise approximately $200,000 each year to fund the Program. To keep our donors informed and to place a certain discipline on myself, I initiated sending all contributors my Director’s Report at the end of each academic year.

If you would like to read my 13th and final Director’s Report, click on the link below.