I’m delighted to introduce you to the exciting changes you will see in the coming weeks and months as we evolve the Smith School’s branding and other communications materials. As many of you know, over the past year, senior staff and faculty have been working with the Office of Marketing Communications to evolve the identity for the school - refining both our graphic look and our messaging to support the Smith brand as “Leaders for the Digital Economy.” What you are seeing today is the first phase of this evolution.

A Bold New Look
We have developed a bold, distinct new graphic identity for our communications materials, which will be applied school wide to create a cohesive and consistent message about who we are and what we do. You will see the new “look” on everything from gift items like those left in your office a few weeks ago, to the school’s new Web site and all of our marketing brochures. The first of these brochures, also found in this package, is the school’s new corporate image brochure. This brochure will help build our brand both internally and externally and illustrate how Smith is uniquely relevant in an economy fueled by technology, entrepreneurship and globalization.

Themes and Images
We continue to draw upon the University of Maryland’s red and yellow colors, but we have also applied some unexpected graphic elements to help distinguish the school. These elements, which include unique photographic images, illustrate the convergence of business and technology and carry a theme of “connections.” A nodal structure, consisting of connecting circles and lines, is used often to help illustrate Smith connections.

Smith connects students to faculty, theory to practice, entrepreneurs to venture capital, businesses to solutions, and graduates to careers. And Smith connections on three continents influence business and business education all over the world.

Join in the Excitement
We hope that you will explore the school’s new Web site and read through the school’s image brochure provided to you. As always, we welcome your input as we continue to evolve the identity of the Smith School. Feel free to provide feedback – on the Web site and other issues related to these changes to: info@rhsmith.umd.edu.

Thank you for sharing in the excitement as we roll out the new Web site and other materials to the Smith School community of leaders for the digital economy!

Smith News

►Dr. Louiqa Raschid, professor of information systems at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, is part of a team of researchers awarded a $2-million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for data management research for the life sciences. Raschid’s research objective is to develop new data modeling and data integration tools that will make scientists and biologists more effective and efficient as they navigate through vast amounts of Web-accessible information. [More]

►Tonight on Smith Business Close-Up, How to Avoid the Winner’s Curse
On tonight's edition of Smith Business Close-Up, Smith's television segment that airs on Maryland Public Television, Anand Anandalingam and Hank Lucas talk about their new book, Beware The Winner’s Curse: Victories That Can Sink You and Your Company. Video segments are archived online. [More]

Human Resources

Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment for employee benefits is typically held in November, but the State of Maryland has not announced it as of yet. Open Enrollment is the only time during the year that employees can make optional changes to their various insurance policies, flexible spending accounts, etc. Look for information in the coming weeks.

Annual Leave – Use It or Lose It (after 400 hours) at December 31
If you are an exempt or non-exempt employee in a position in which you earn leave, take time to look at your current annual leave balance. If you are currently at or near 400 hours, consider scheduling your leave now to avoid losing any earned annual leave over 400 hours at the end of the calendar year.

W-4 and W-2 Forms
The State of Maryland will be mailing W-2 forms in January 2005 to the address listed on your paycheck/stub. Please verify the address on your paycheck/stub. If the address is not correct, complete a payroll change of address form or new W-4 form. Remember, if you are a D.C. resident, you need to complete the D.C. W-4 tax form. Forms are available from Mary Crowe-Kokonis or online.

Net Payroll Calculator
As the new calendar year approaches you may find this helpful if you plan to change your deductions. The net pay calculator can be used for estimating taxes and net pay. Although only an approximation, it gives a good idea about your take home pay. You will need a copy of your pay stub before you begin.

https://interactive.marylandtaxes.com/extranet/cpb/paychkcalc/paychkcalc.asp

New Web Site Tips

PowerPoint Templates with New Smith Identity
PowerPoint templates incorporating the new Smith Identity are available on the Web site of the Office of Marketing Communications. There are several styles available in one file. The best way to use the template is to decide on your background, copy that slide, and delete from the template file the ones you don’t want. Save that file with a new file name when you enter your presentation material. Smith School logos are also available online. [Find Out More]

Travel & Reimbursement Forms
Looking for the travel and reimbursement forms on the new Web site? It's easy to find them! Go to Departments & Offices, Click on Administrative Offices, Administration, Download Forms. Direct Link: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/admin/forms.html 

Portal Login & E-mail
Checking e-mail or getting into the eSmith portal has never been easier. Just click on the "Login" button on any page on the new Web site to directly access any of the Smith School community features. http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/login.html