Special Video Message from Dean Anand

• Smith Welcomes 23 New PhD Students
• Welcome MBA Students -- Orientation
  • New MBA Students GET a Taste of Smith’s Curriculum
  • Guest Speaker Kristie Bradford, MBA 2005
  • Guest Speaker Marlene McNamee, MBA 2002 (Video)
  • Guest Speaker Dontá Wilson, MBA 2005 (Video)
  • Smith Team MBA Cleans Up Elementary School

Smith Community Responds to Financial Crisis
The Smith School will hold a town hall forum to discuss U.S. financial turmoil on Friday, Sept. 26, 3 p.m., in Frank Auditorium. This follows Smith student and faculty comments featured on National Public Radio and NBC 4.

U.S. News Ranks Smith School’s Undergraduate Program Among Nation’s Best
The undergraduate program at the Smith School is ranked No. 17 in the nation, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report college ranking report, “America’s Best Colleges 2009,” released today. The Smith School also ranked highly in a number of business specialty categories — with its Management Information Systems, Supply Chain Management and Entrepreneurship programs listed among the nation’s top 10 and a total of nine areas listed among the nation’s top 20. The Smith School’s specialty rankings include: 

No. 5 – Management Information Systems
No. 8 – Supply Chain Management/Logistics
No. 9 – Entrepreneurship
No. 11 – Quantitative Analysis
No. 14 – Management
No. 14 – International Business
No. 16 – Production/Operations Management
No. 15 – Finance
No. 16 – Marketing 

Smith Brings Global Week of Entrepreneurship to China
On Oct. 1 the Smith School will be announcing plans for a “Global Week of Entrepreneurship” from the school’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship highlighting leading global entrepreneurship research and practices. A series of events – starting in Shanghai, on Oct. 23 and ending in Beijing on Nov. 2 – will engage and benefit Smith students, entrepreneurs and alumni, as well as their counterparts based in China, with a lineup designed to build knowledge and connections.

The program will include expert panel discussions at a Smith co-sponsored Pacific Rim Entrepreneurship Summit in Shanghai from Dingman Center directors, networking opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs in Shanghai and Beijing, and Dingman Center-delivered entrepreneurship workshops. A focal point will be the Smith School’s 2008 China Business Plan Competition, sponsored by NYMEX and Fidelity Asia Ventures, and now in its fourth successful year. The event, co-hosted by Beida University’s Guanghua School of Management, will offer aspiring student and established entrepreneurs the chance to win cash prizes totaling $50,000.

CIBER Hosts “Investing in America: The Indian Story”
The Smith School’s Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) played host to the “Investing in America: The Indian Story” lunch seminar at Van Munching Hall on August 18. This event was part of an initiative, led by the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), to focus on the unique contributions and positive impact Indian companies are making to the U.S. economic landscape through technology innovation, corporate social responsibility initiatives, employment generation and other means. The USIBC-FICCI initiative highlights the top Indian companies operating in the United States, including the Tata Group, Ranbaxy Laboratories, HCL Technologies, Mahindra USA, Satyam Computer Systems, Essar Group, Wockhardt USA, Thermax, ITC Group, Wipro, Essel Propack, and Jet Airways. Smith School Dean G. “Anand” Anandalingam spoke to the group, which included government officials, local and regional business representatives, and Smith School faculty and staff.

Developer Richard Perlmutter Talks Real Estate as Featured Speaker for Undergrad "Business Week"
The Smith School’s undergraduate program kicked off the new school year in fine style with its Fourth Annual Business Week, September 8-12. This year’s featured Business Week speaker was Richard Perlmutter, co-founder of Argo Development Company, which develops retail, office, residential, industrial, and urban mixed-use projects throughout the Washington metropolitan area. His presentation — “The More Things Change, the More They Look the Same: Trends and Opportunities in the Real Estate Industry” — addressed the business of real estate development, drawing upon examples from the booming Downtown Silver Spring and the new East Campus project that will bring mixed-use development to an underutilized 38-acre portion of the University of Maryland’s College Park campus.
» Full Story

Dingman Center Expands Capital Access Network
The Dingman Center announced it has expanded its Capital Access Network (CAN), a pipeline for connecting startups with investors, to include inventors and entrepreneurs working with Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer. The new partnership adds to the center’s CAN alliances with tech councils, incubators and state-funded institutions — including the Baltimore Emerging Technology Centers, the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development’s Incubator Network, and the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute — which enable the center to connect entrepreneurs of mid-Atlantic start-up companies with more a network of than 75 active, accredited angel investors and venture capitalists for early-stage capital.
» Full Story

Smith & Clark Schools Team Up Again to Offer Certificate in Innovation Management
Mastering innovation isn't simply promoting new ideas—it's a survival strategy for both individuals and companies. The Smith School is teaming up with the A. James Clark School of Engineering once again to offer the joint Certificate in Innovation Management Program. Starting in October, this challenging six-part series focuses on innovation management from multiple perspectives, including strategies for managing innovation, marketing, financial analysis, negotiation skills, and leading the innovative venture. Participants can attend individual modules or complete six days of study to earn a combined Certificate in Innovation Management from both schools.
www.execed.umd.edu

Vote for Smith Alum, Named BusinessWeek Top 25 Young Entrepreneur
Robert H. Smith School of Business finance alumnus Anik Singal ’05, was named one of America’s most promising young entrepreneurs in BusinessWeek.com’s fourth annual roundup. Singal is a finalist for the top of the 25-and-under crop — online voting will narrow down the 25 finalists to determine the top five businesses that readers feel hold the most promise.  “I could never have succeeded in business without the training and support of the Smith School of Business,” Singal says. “The knowledge and support of my professors combined with the amazing resources really gave me an advantage that almost felt unfair!"
»  Full Story
»  Vote Now

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UM Awarded $12.5 Million for Research Center at Frontier of Quantum Physics
The National Science Foundation has awarded the Joint Quantum Institute $12.5 million over five years to create and operate a Physics Frontier Center at the University of Maryland. The Joint Quantum Institute is a partnership between the university and the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The center will pursue cutting-edge investigations of quantum science -- the bizarre behavior of matter and energy at nature's smallest scales -- with an emphasis on the fundamental physics of quantum information and quantum computing.
» Full Story

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Deals in the Current Economy
It has been over a year since the credit crunch started. The effects continue to ripple through the economy. The housing market is dismal and the Federal Reserve has resorted to extraordinary measure to prop up the banking industry. The number of big corporate mergers is down sharply. Deals getting done these days are largely financed with money from overseas or from companies using their own funds. What are the lessons learned and what will be the ultimate outcomes?

In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up, Alexander Triantis, professor of finance, talks about government bailouts and shakeouts from the credit crunch and the current economic climate for deals.

Prof. Triantis’ research focuses on the design of optimal corporate investment, financing, and risk management strategies, and particularly on the development and application of real options analysis to value investment opportunities and companies. He chairs the Smith School’s finance department, which is hosting its second Mergers & Acquisitions Competition, October 16-17. Teams of MBA
students from top business schools will compete to deliver the winning M&A pitch to Wall Street bankers, corporate executives, Smith faculty and alumni.

Smith Business Close-Up can be seen bi-weekly on Maryland Public Television’s Your Money and Business. Watch Alex Triantis Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m, Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 a.m. and Monday, Oct. 6 at 4:30 a.m. on public television stations throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, including:

WMPB-TV (Ch. 67), Baltimore
WMPT-TV (Ch. 22), DC metro/Annapolis
WCPB-TV (Ch. 28), Salisbury
WFPT-TV (Ch. 62), Frederick
WWPB-TV (Ch. 31), Hagerstown
WGPT-TV (Ch. 36), Oakland

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NBC 4 – Sept. 22, 2008 – Smith School finance students and Gerald Suarez, associate dean for external strategy, are interviewed about how business the financial crisis and the job market outlook. Watch online. Watch Now.

Washington Post – Sept. 22, 2008 – Assistant finance professor Steve Heston is quoted in a story about how business school students are reacting to the financial crisis and their job market outlook. Read more.

WTOP Radio – Sept. 21, 2008 – Finance Tyser Teaching Fellow Elinda Kiss is interviewed about the financial crisis and takes listeners’ questions.

NPR “All Things Considered” – Sept. 20, 2008 – The reporter visits the Smith School to sit in on Tyser Teaching Fellow Elinda Kiss’ finance class and speak with senior finance students, then talk with lecturer Sarah Kroncke and members of the Mayer Fund to see how b-school students are reacting to financial crisis. Read more.

CNN: Lou Dobbs Tonight – Sept. 19, 2008 – Business professor Peter Morici is interviewed about the financial crisis and the federal rescue plan. Read transcript.

CBS Evening News – Sept. 19, 2008 – Business professor Peter Morici is interviewed about the financial crisis and the federal rescue plan. Watch online.

Newsweek.com – Sept. 18, 2008 – Business professor Peter Morici is quoted in a story about the U.S. automakers and federal aid. Read more.

Washington Post – Sept. 16, 2008 – Employee silence research from Subra Tangirala is the subject of a news article. Read more.

WJLA, ABC7– Sept. 15, 2008 – Elinda Kiss, finance Tyser Teaching Fellow, is interviewed in a story about the banking crisis and the plunging markets. Watch online.

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Dr. J. Gerald Suarez
Associate Dean of External Strategy
J. Gerald Suarez was named associate dean of external strategy for the Smith School in 2008. In this role, Suarez oversees Smith's Offices of Career Management, Recruiting and Marketing Communications. In 2005, he joined the Smith School as an Executive Education Senior Fellow, Ralph J. Tyser Teaching Fellow for the Decision, Operations and Information Technology Department, and Executive Director of the Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) Honors Fellows program. In 2008 he received the prestigious Allen J. Krowe teaching excellence award. He has taught at the corporate, executive MBA, full-time MBA, international, and undergraduate levels and has served as academic director for executive on-site programs at Lockheed Martin Corporation and Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC).

Prior to joining the Smith School, Suarez served under two administrations in the White House as the Director of Presidential Quality -- the first such post in the institution’s history. In this capacity, he initiated efforts to inculcate systems thinking and organizational redesign into the White House Communications Agency, the White House Military Office and the Executive Office of the President of the United States. He also served as Director of Customer Support and Organizational Development for the White House Military Office. Suarez traveled aboard Air Force One and Presidential helicopters in numerous missions worldwide. He received many Presidential awards and commendations for his work, including the Exceptional Civilian Service Medal, the White House Distinguished Service Award, the Commander-in-Chief Coin, and the White House Certificate for Meritorious Service.
» Full Story

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Accounting and Information Assurance
» Rebecca Hann, associate professor; PhD, University of Pennsylvania
» Hemantha Herath, visiting associate professor; PhD, Auburn University
» Lei Zhou, visiting assistant professor; PhD, University of Maryland

Decision, Operations and Information Technologies
» Il-Horn Hann, associate professor; PhD, University of Pennsylvania
» Yi Xu, assistant professor; PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Finance
» Michael Falkender, assistant professor; PhD, Northwestern University
» Sudip Gupta, visiting assistant professor; PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Logistics, Business and Public Policy
» T. Leigh Anenson, associate professor; JD, University of Akron
» Gary Cohen, lecturer; MBA, Regis University
» Alan Jacobs, lecturer; JD, University of Baltimore
» Gideon E. Mark, associate professor; JD, University of California Hastings
» Brian Nelson, Tyser Teaching Fellow; JD Columbia University
» Yue Maggie Zhou, assistant professor; PhD, University of Michigan

Management and Organization
» Rafael Corredoira, assistant professor; PhD, University of Pennsylvania
» Hui Liao, associate professor; PhD, University of Minnesota
» Matthew J. Pearsall, assistant professor; PhD, University of Arizona
» Vijaya Venkataramani, assistant professor; PhD Purdue University
» Karen Wouters; PhD University of Ghent, Belgium

Marketing
» Tao Chen, assistant professor; PhD, Carnegie Mellon University
» Anastasiya Pocheptsova, assistant professor; PhD, Yale University
» William Rand, assistant professor; PhD, University of Michigan

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Team Building Best Practices!
On Aug. 15, the staff of the Office of the Dean showed the rest of the Smith School community that when they get together for a teambuilding luncheon, they mean business. Taking over the Executive Dining room for two hours, they transformed the space into an indoor luau, replete with brightly colored leis, daisies, balloons and table cloths on every table, as well as a feast of potluck treats, including meatballs, strawberries and a mouth-watering dessert assortment.

Helping to further facilitate an atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie, Bobvita Salters, Smith’s human resources manager, involved her team in games such as musical chairs and Pictionary. The coup de grace, however, was when Salters kicked her shoes off and taught the staff the latest in dance moves. Enthusiastically mimicking her through the motions of the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha Cha Slide, the dean’s staffers eventually fell into rhythm, wide smiles replacing brows furrowed in concentration.

So, why throw such a party on a regular summer’s day without occasion? It all goes back to Dean Anand’s continuing vision of a close-knit, happy Smith community. With the goal of better employee retainment in mind, Dean Anand has started several initiatives to boost morale and foster team-oriented events, and encouraging breaks from the norm such as the one shared by his staff are just the beginning.

Impressed with the suggestions in 1001 Ways to Reward and Energize Your Employees by Bob Nelson, Salters urges other departments to borrow the book and plan their own events. According to Nelson, 75 percent of employees polled believe they can have a direct impact on their company’s success. Of that same sample population, 72 percent derive a sense of accomplishment from their jobs. These highly positive numbers suggest that promoting a sense of community will increase an employee’s general good feelings about their workplace and coworkers, and hopefully increase both company loyalty and productivity.

Salters’ event is the starting point (and quite possibly the benchmark) for celebrations that should continue throughout the rest of the Smith School. So, with Dean Anand’s blessing and encouragement, gather your department together for well-earned group activity. The stage has been set – are you ready to dance?

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Synchronizing your Contacts between your Blackberry and Lotus Notes
If you recently received a new Blackberry and would like to synchronize your contacts from Lotus Notes to your handheld and vice versa, this quick tip should help. Any time you want to update them, open your Inbox in Lotus Notes and click the Actions menu and choose Synchronize Address Book. This synchronizes your local address book with your mail file. Your Blackberry should then detect the changes in a few minutes and update as well. The added advantage is that this also makes your contacts available to you in iNotes/Webmail! If you find that the contacts are not showing up your handheld after a while, please email the Helpdesk via helpme@rhsmith.umd.edu and they will be happy to check the server settings and verify that you have wireless synchronization turned on.

Update your Virus Protection
Our installations of McAfee are set to automatically update virus definitions, however, when security exploits are announced, this needs to be done more frequently. To protect your computer please manually update your McAfee virus definitions as soon as possible. To do this,
1. Right click on the red "V" in the taskbar at the bottom right of your computer screen.
2. Choose "update now" and it will update to the latest version of "dat."
Of course, new viruses or "exploits" are most likely being created, so you should routinely manually run McAfee updates daily.

Update your Windows Critical Patches
If you have a computer with our software image (such as your office computer), that pc is set to automatically update critical Windows patches overnight. We recommend that you remain logged into Novell overnight, and THEN RE-BOOT YOUR COMPUTER IN THE MORNING. This will download the latest critical patches available for Windows, and when you re-boot your computer in the morning they will be installed.

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Welcome Dean Anand!
Smith faculty and staff turned out en force for Dean Anand’s first official school assembly on Sept. 5. Newly appointed Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean of Faculty Susan Taylor took the helm, smoothly running the meeting as she read announcements, introduced new faculty members and kept the guest speakers on-schedule. Dean Anand later took the podium to invite the faculty and staff present to “dance” – to take an active role in their participation in Smith events and in helping the school live up to its overwhelming potential.

Following the assembly, all were invited to attend a reception in Dean Anand’s honor, held in the North Wing. The atmosphere was enhanced by a jazz trio and plenty of delicious beverages and food, that latter of which was catered by Indique Heights, the dean’s favorite Indian restaurant. Further into the festivities, Taylor again took the floor to present gifts to the dean and his family, including red roses for his wife, Deepa, and Smith goody bags for his son Siddhu and daughter Kavi. Dean Anand was then presented with a crystal turtle, and an inscribed gavel, signifying the passing of leadership to him. Taylor concluded with a champagne toast for the dean, which received rousing applause from those present. The reception continued through to the end of the day – a fitting end for the work week, and a fitting beginning for new leadership.

» More Photos

Web Site Updates
As a reminder, with the launch of the new Smith School Web site all Web updates are being processed by the Office of Marketing Communications. Please coordinate with your designated Web Contact or send updates directly to webupdates@rhsmtih.umd.edu. 

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