Social Enterprise Symposium - Innovations for Transformative Social Change

Thursday, March 26, 2009, 5 - 9 p.m.
Van Munching Hall's Frank Auditorium
Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Please join us for the first Social Enterprise Symposium, a student-run program designed to introduce new approaches for making impactful, lasting social change around the world using market-based approaches. Private, public and nonprofit practitioners are crossing traditional barriers to enable social and environmental change. Attendees will select from multiple breakout sessions that range from topics in clean/green technology to socially responsible investing. Sessions will be workshop-based so students will learn how to put principles and practices into action. A reception and career/opportunity fair follows the workshops. Please RSVP online for this event by Tuesday, March 24.

ThoughtLeadership@Smith Lecture Series

Robert H. Smith School of Business - Washington DC Campus
Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20004

Learn from some of Smith’s most influential thinkers and network with fellow alumni at this series of breakfast presentations, held on the last Friday of the month at our Washington, D.C. campus. Come to one event, or join us for the whole series.

Book Discussion: “Animal Spirits” by 2001 Nobel Prize Winner, George Akerlof

Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 2 – 4 p.m.
Van Munching Hall – Tyser Auditorium
Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Prof. George Akerlof, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics, discusses his book Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism. In this book, acclaimed economists George Akerlof and Robert Shiller challenge the economic wisdom that got us into this mess, and put forward a bold new vision that will transform economics and restore prosperity. The first 75 attendees to check in at registration will receive a complementary copy of Dr. Akerlof's book. A book signing will follow the discussion. Please RSVP online by Tuesday, March 31.
PLEASE NOTE: Space in Frank Auditorium is limited. The first 225 attendees to check in at registration will have access to seating in Frank Auditorium. All additional attendees will have seating in Room 1528, where the discussion will be broadcast.

4th Annual Cupid’s Cup Business Competition and the 2nd Annual BB&T Business Invitational

Friday, April 17, 2009, 2 - 5 p.m.
Van Munching Hall – Frank Auditorium
Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Join the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship for the 4th Annual Cupid’s Cup Business Competition. The afternoon begins with the 2nd Annual BB&T Business Invitational (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.), a showcase of Dingman Center portfolio companies and student run businesses. Explore startups and student businesses and network with Smith alumni, entrepreneurs and executives from the Washington metro area. Then the battle is on! Watch five finalists compete for the cup and $22,500 in prize money. They’ll be judged on their eight-minute business pitch presentation and evaluated by a panel of judges, including Kevin Plank ’96, CEO and chairman of Under Armour. Please RSVP online by Wednesday, April 15.

Smith Speaker Series, featuring Alex Counts, President and CEO of the Grameen Foundation

Tuesday, March 31, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Van Munching Hall – Frank Auditorium
Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

The Smith School is proud to present Alex Counts, President and CEO of the Grameen Foundation. With the help of 27 countries and a dedication to social consciousness and change, Counts has impacted the lives of an estimated 31 million of the world’s indigenous people. This Smith Speaker Series - “Microfinance as a Platform for Change” will focus on the interests that have lead to Counts’ successful engagement with the global finance industry, including innovations focused on capital investment in microfinance, poverty, human resources, and technology. Please join the greater University of Maryland community in welcoming scholar, author and philanthropist Alex Counts as he discusses his platform for change. Please RSVP online for this event by Thursday, March 26.

Executive Education Special Offering
Smart Globalization in the Age of China and India

Robert H. Smith School of Business - Washington DC Campus
Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20004

Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24China and India are mega-markets with rich cities and the fastest growing economies in the world. Discover how you and your company can develop a strategy to grow and prosper in the world's largest markets. Thursday features a day-long conference with global strategists, executives of major companies and entrepreneurs already doing business in China and India. On Friday, get strategic guidance on engaging with Asia from one of the foremost strategists on China and India, Anil Gupta, Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Strategy and Organization, whose recent books include Getting China and India Right and The Quest for Global Dominance. Learn more or register today.

New Degree Offered: MS in Business: Finance

The Smith School now offers a Masters of Science in Business: Finance. The program will prepare students to analyze and direct the financial decisions of an organization in the global economy. Emphasizing quantitative methods, students gain a deep understanding of and appreciation for the theoretical foundations of finance today. Learn more or apply today.