Why the Smith EMBA?

A Message from the Dean

Success in today’s business environment requires leaders who are flexible, adaptive and
responsive to change—leaders who can solve problems without case studies or parallels.
The breakneck speed of technology and innovation is driving the rapid pace of change
in the business world, often in ways we cannot predict.

The Smith Executive MBA program can help you acquire the skills needed to navigate
and leverage those changes as you manage any complex enterprise, whether it’s in the
private sector, government or education.

Smith’s EMBA curriculum has the power to widen your perspective, because we take a
systemic approach to the craft of management and the practice of leadership. During
your time at Smith, you will develop the skills and strategies that bring the big picture
into focus. We teach you to see your organization as a whole—to see how the pieces
interact, and how each piece affects the whole.

Think of it this way: the aim of a vehicle is transportation, but no part of a car is capable
of moving you from one place to another. It takes the entire system to achieve forward
motion. In your organization, it is the interaction of each and every function—sales,
manufacturing, R&D, finance, marketing—which leads to the success of the whole.
Understanding those interactions is your key to effective leadership across every area
of your organization, as you align all of those parts into a synergistic whole.

I invite you to learn more about the Smith Executive MBA program. Read this booklet,
log on to our Web site and if you can, visit us. You’ll discover the many ways a Smith
EMBA can help you take the lead.

Howard Frank, Dean
Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland