The Economist Intelligence Unit Ranks Smith Schools
Custom Executive Education No. 5 in the U.S.

College Park, MD November 18, 2005 The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business is ranked among the worlds best providers of custom management programs No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 8 globally according to a survey of executive education programs from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released today. The EIU is the business information arm of The Economist Group, which publishes The Economist.

Our strong ranking reflects the world-leading quality of our custom executive programs, said Howard Frank, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Custom education is becoming increasingly necessary as companies struggle to keep up with constant changes in technology, markets and competition. Executives must continuously evolve to be successful.

The Smith School has seen great demand for custom executive programs as our corporate clients increasingly recognize the value created by our partnership approach, said Scott Koerwer, associate dean for professional programs and services at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. We are committed to delivering programs that are highly customized and individual which is exactly what companies need to best enhance employee professional development and maximize executive performance."

The EIU ratings were based on a customer satisfaction survey sent to the person responsible for purchasing an organizations tailored education program. The survey rated schools by their ability to deliver on the areas judged most important by a panel of over 200 senior executives including:

• ability to understand issues
specific to the company ;
• faculty quality;
• providers amenities;
• level of post-course support for participants;
• ability to demonstrate impact back in the workplace;
• maintaining an ongoing relationship;
• flexibility/ability to customize the program;
• wide range of expertise.

About the Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research for the digital economy. The Smith School one of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, PhD, and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in four continents including North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. More information about the Robert H. Smith School of Business can be found at www.rhsmith.umd.edu.

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For more information: Angela Toda Robert H. Smith School of Business University of Maryland ( 301.405.8062 atoda@rhsmith.umd.edu