Faculty Profile

Dr. Mark Wellman Distinguished Tyser Teaching Fellow Ph.D., George Washington University 4552 Van Munching Hall Phone: (301) 405-0831 E-mail: mwellman@rhsmith.umd.edu

Dr. Mark H. Wellman is currently a faculty member in the management and organization department at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and he serves as director of the Business, Society & Economy (BSE) program in the university’s College Park Scholars program.

Dr. Wellman is recognized for his innovative courses and his memorable, relevant experiences outside of the classroom. The three largest short term global immersion programs at UMD are directed by him. The global immersion programs involve traveling to the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. As the faculty director for the programs, Dr. Wellman designs and organizes all aspects of the program including departure preparation, scheduling onsite visits, organizing logistics, administering the budget, and assisting students with cross-cultural training. Over 425 students have participated in his global immersion programs since 2009.

The BSE program was transformed into the premier undergraduate living-learning business program under his leadership. The transformation involved developing innovative curricular and co-curricular learning experiences including interactive activities such as leadership training, simulations, assessments, and community service. The special topics course that he developed on innovation involves traveling to Silicon Valley to visit Cisco, Google, eBay, LinkedIn, Zynga, Saleforce.com, Tesla Motors, Huawei, Pixar, IDEO, Electronic Arts, and Facebook.

His efforts to create outstanding educational experiences have resulted in him being one of the most sought after faculty for developing thought provoking programs and courses, he designed one of the most popular undergraduate courses for the new general education curriculum with more than 300 students enrolling. The course, “Why Good Managers Make Bad Decisions,” addresses the role of evidence-based management and other decision making tools in successful corporations.

Dr. Wellman was awarded the prestigious University of Maryland Brit Kirwan award for making exceptional contributions to the University, including transforming the College Park Scholars Business, Society and Economy program, developing innovative curricular and co-curricular learning experiences, starting the undergraduate management major and introducing global immersion programs.

He also earned the Outstanding Faculty Educator Award. The award is presented each year by the Maryland Parents Association to honor a faculty member who demonstrates a deep commitment to providing an exemplary educational experience for students. He has also received numerous awards for teaching, including the Allen J. Krowe Teaching Excellence Award for his outstanding contribution to business education.

Dr. Wellman has successfully taught in executive development programs, part-time, corporate, and executive MBA programs, as well as undergraduate programs. His teaching is in the areas of organizational change, human capital, international business, leadership, and strategic management. He also introduced an assessment center for the University of Maryland’s undergraduate program, and has served as an executive coach for graduate students. He is certified in all assessments developed by the Center for Creative Leadership.

Before his current appointment, Dr. Wellman served as the assistant dean of the MBA/MS programs at the Smith School from 1990-2001. When arriving at Smith he was charged with achieving greater recognition as the Smith School was not ranked as one of the leading business schools. Dr. Wellman led the transformation of the school's MBA program. At the end of his tenure the MBA program was ranked among the top 25 by BusinessWeek, The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and U.S. News. In addition, full-time and part-time MBA enrollment significantly increased along with student quality.

Prior to arriving at Maryland in 1990, he served as the director of graduate studies in business at Bowling Green State University. While at BGSU he increased MBA enrollment, improved student satisfaction, and established an MBA career services program.

Dr. Wellman has extensive experience with admissions, advising, career services, student learning, student-faculty engagement program assessment strategies, and retention efforts. His primary research subject is the area of career success, human capital and management education. He is a recent recipient of a faculty fellowship from the Graduate Management Admission Council Education Research Institute. His research is examining the impact of the MBA degree on career success outcomes.

Dr. Wellman holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a focus on organizational behavior and development from the George Washington University School of Business Administration. In addition, he has an undergraduate and graduate degree from Bowling Green State University.

Global Immersion Courses

• 2012: Smith Students Travel to Australia for Global Immersion Experience
• 2012: Smith Students Travel to Singapore and Malaysia for Global Immersion Experience
• 2011: Smith Undergrads Participate in Innovation Immersion Experience
• 2010: Smith Students Travel to the UAE for Global Immersion Course

Primary Research Areas

• Global Strategy and Organization
• Human Capital
• Career Success
• Organizational Change
• Human Resources Management