►Smith School Launches Global EMBA Program
►Entrepreneur Magazine Ranks Smith Among Top 13
►Smith Hosts NUBS 2005
►Smith MBAs to Manage Free Tax Prep Service - Clinic Held in Van Munching Hall
►Smith School in the News

Smith School Launches Global EMBA Program

The Smith School has partnered with the Graduate School of Business Administration (GSBA) in Zürich, Switzerland to deliver a global executive MBA (EMBA) dual degree program. U.S. and international students in the program will have the opportunity to take classes and work with businesses on three continents–Europe, through GSBA; Asia, through Smith’s programs in China; and North America, at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. GSBA Zürich has been consistently ranked as one of Europe’s Top 12 Executive Business Schools by the Financial Times.

“We’re bringing together the strengths of two of the world’s best business schools to deliver programming specifically designed to help executives succeed in today’s global, technology-driven economy,” says Dean Howard Frank. “There are differences between businesses and economies in North America and the rest of the world, differences you can’t fully understand by reading a book about China or exchanging e-mail with someone in Europe. Having the opportunity to study and interact with counterparts on three continents will give students a depth of experience that cannot be replicated in any other way.”

The Smith-GSBA DDG-EMBA is a 24-36 month program targeted toward mid-to-senior career business professionals with at least eight to 10 years of managerial experience. The program is designed around two-week blocks, with executives completing at least one program block each in Europe, China and the United States. Participants must complete a total of nine blocks in 36 months to graduate. Courses will be jointly taught by Smith and GSBA faculty.

For more information about enrollment in the Smith-GSBA DDG-EMBA, contact Amanda Stowers.

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Smith Ranked Among Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 13

The entrepreneurship program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is ranked among the top 13 nationally in the April 2005 issue of Entrepreneur magazine. For the third consecutive year and since the survey’s inception, the magazine has included the Smith School prominently among its annual list of the best 100 collegiate entrepreneurship programs in the United States.

“The Smith School’s leading approach to entrepreneurship education and research gives our students the ability to deal with complex issues such as the integration of technology and globalization, while successfully undertaking the challenge of building a successful business,” said Howard Frank, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “The Smith School is committed to nurturing and growing the entrepreneurial spirit in our students and I’m pleased that our entrepreneurship programs have been rated among the best in the country.”

According to the sixth annual Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, a report measuring entrepreneurial activity worldwide, 73 million people across the globe are either nascent entrepreneurs, or own or manage a young business. Among Smith School resources supporting entrepreneurship is the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, a nationally-recognized, leading entrepreneurial center that assists students and regional entrepreneurs with expertise and funding.

“One of the strong points of the Dingman Center is that we truly leverage all available resources to provide students with the tools to build success and confidence to be entrepreneurs,” said Asher Epstein, managing director of the Dingman Center. “The Dingman Center takes advantage of its strategic position within the Smith School, a recognized leader in management education, to draw upon expertise from the entire university including the Clark School of Engineering, the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute and the Office of Technology Commercialization. Students truly have access to the latest thought leadership, best practices and mentorship from all disciplines while mastering the core principles of successful entrepreneurship.”

Entrepreneur’s third annual evaluation of the best entrepreneurship programs at U.S. colleges and universities was performed by TechKnowledge Point Corp., an online research and referral exchange for entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

Smith Hosts National Undergraduate Business Symposium NUBS 2005: “Technology in Business”

Smith School Dean Howard Frank delivered the keynote address at the opening night dinner.

The Robert H. Smith School of Business welcomed thought leaders from top undergraduate business schools across the United States on March 18 & 19, 2005.

Some 60 participants, primarily undergraduate program directors and faculty leaders, attended the National Undergraduate Business Symposium (NUBS), which aims to continually improve member school’s undergraduate business programs through discussion of common issues and sharing of ideas in today’s rapidly-changing global arena.

“This conference, which brings together faculty and administration from the top undergraduate business programs, is a collegial gathering of friends, at which we share best practices and learn from each other. Each of the member schools contributes a unique perspective, while at the same time all share common issues regarding undergraduate management education,” says Pat Cleveland, assistant dean for undergraduate studies at Smith.

This year's conference theme, "Technology in Business,” gave the participants an opportunity to glean valuable information and tips on developing and managing the IT infrastructure, which makes possible the high-end programs and services students and faculty have come to expect.

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Smith MBAs to Manage Free Tax Preparation Service for Low to Moderate Income Individuals; Clinic Held in Van Munching Hall

Do you know someone who is puzzled by tax laws or unsure about which credits and deductions they can take? Free tax help is available to certain individuals through the Campus Tax Clinic 2005 (CTC '05) hosted by the Smith School and a team of MBA students. Trained and certified community volunteer tax assistors will provide help with basic income tax returns to families earning less than $35,000 per year in Van Munching Hall on April 9th and 10th. Help us spread the word about this unique service!

The CTC ‘05 offers free assistance to qualifying members of the local community who file Form 1040EZ, Form 1040A, or basic Form 1040 Federal tax returns. The volunteer tax assistors will also help community members in claiming any special credits and deductions for which they may be eligible.

Interested individuals must bring photo identification, this year’s tax package, wage and earnings statement (Form W-2) from all employers, interest statements from banks (Form 1099), a copy of last year’s tax return if available, and other relevant information about income and expenses. All of the volunteer tax assistors preparing these returns have completed an IRS training and certification course in basic income tax preparation.

Families with incomes less than $35,000 should bring tax forms and other necessary information to Van Munching Hall from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on April 9th or 10th for free tax assistance. The clinic will be held in Rooms 1411 and 1418. For more information, please contact Rob Cohen at 301-908-8982 or rcohenblueskytax@mac.com.

Campus Tax Clinic 2005 (CTC ’05) was created by a team of MBA students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business to provide free, basic tax preparation services to Maryland students and the surrounding College Park community.

Smith School in the News

The Smith School’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship is ranked among the top 13 schools nationally in Entrepreneur Magazine’s April 2005 list of the best 100 schools and programs. Campus technology trends and Smith School students’ use of BlackBerries are highlighted in two separate feature stories from the Financial Times (3/21) and USA Today (3/25). Cherie Scricca, associate dean of Master’s Programs, is quoted extensively in the Financial Times article. P.K. Kannan, Harvey Sanders Associate Professor of Marketing, is quoted a retail expert in an article in USA Today (3/22) on Quiksilver’s purchase of French ski company Rossignol, and in a Baltimore Sun (3/18) article on gas prices where he gives insight into pricing strategies. Research from Alexander Triantis, finance professor, on the number of firms opting to deregister from stock exchanges is featured in a Baltimore Sun (3/15) article on Sarbanes-Oxley. Research and quotes from Robert Baum, assistant professor of entrepreneurship, are featured in an online article from Fortune Small Business (3/14). Peter Morici, professor of international business, provides expert insight as an economic, trade and steel industry expert in articles in The Wall Street Journal (3/28, 3/23), USA Today (3/24), Globe and Mail (3/23), Reuters (3/19), San Diego Union Tribune (3/20), The New York Times (3/17) and other leading business news outlets.

For more Smith School media highlights and links to articles, visit Smith School in the News.

More News:

Maryland Finance Symposium Highlights Latest Corporate Governance Research and Findings

New insights from some of the world’s leading academics on the subject of corporate governance indicate that U.S.-listed corporations need to reach for more progress in the areas of executive compensation, financial transparency and board oversight. Research presented at “Governance, Markets and Financial Policy,” a finance symposium hosted by the Smith School from March 31 – April 2, will highlight these and other key topics.

Participants from Duke University, New York University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, The Wharton School, University of Texas at Austin, Washington University and the University of Maryland will share key findings including:

• The greater growth of executive pay between 1993-2002 within firms with weak shareholder rights. “The Growth of Executive Pay,” by Lucian Bebchuk, Harvard Law School; and Yaniv Grinstein, Cornell University
• Characteristics of the boards of directors of mutual funds, such as size and composition, influence the probability that fund managers are replaced, but do not seem to affect the performance of the funds. “The Performance and Risk-Taking Behavior of Mutual Fund Managers and the Role of Fund Directors,” by Russ Wermers, Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland; and Bill Ding, University of Albany
• In poorly governed firms, CEOs are rewarded for growth through acquisition but are not punished for poor performance after the acquisition. “Decoupling CEO Wealth and Firm Performance: The Case of Acquiring CEOs,” by Jarrad Harford, University of Washington Business School; and Kai Li, MIT Sloan School of Management and Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia
• Corruption substantially increases firms’ exposure to systematic risk and thus their cost of capital, particularly in countries with weak shareholder rights. “Corruption, Governance and the Cost of Capital,” by Mark J. Garmaise, Anderson School of Management at UCLA; and Jun Liu, Anderson School of Management at UCLA

“There is no greater challenge currently facing public companies worldwide than the issue of good corporate governance,” said Lemma Senbet, holder of the William E. Mayer Chair in Finance. “I am very pleased that the finance department at the Smith School has taken a leading role in assembling the foremost thought leadership on such a wide spectrum of important issues. Today’s attendees will benefit from discourse on topics ranging from executive compensation and turnover, to shareholder control, bank monitoring, firm-level governance and country-wide determinants.”

According to the president of World Bank Group, James Wolfensohn, the governance of the corporation is now as important in the world economy as the government of countries. This new approach to corporate governance and a recent number of high-profile corporate failures, have resulted in a renewed focus on the topic.

More information about “Governance, Markets and Financial Policy,” including an agenda; full list of participants; information about the keynote presentation, “Management and the Capital Markets: Managing the Tensions Between the Two Cultures,” from Michael Jensen, Harvard University professor; and links to presented research can be found at: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/finance/fs/papers.html

Dingman Center Speaker Series To Feature Phil Samper

Phil Samper, founding general partner of Gabriel Ventures, will address the topic of business execution on Wednesday April 6, 6 - 8 p.m. (1412 VMH, Rouse Room). Samper held numerous CEO positions and made his mark at both startup and Fortune 500 companies. He served as Vice Chairman and Executive Officer of Eastman Kodak, where he was personally responsible for 70% of Kodak's worldwide operations and led a major restructuring of the corporation. The Wall Street Journal credited his management skills as CEO of Sun Microsystems Computer in the turnaround of Sun's stock.

Mark your calendar and R.S.V.P. to hold your spot for this exciting Speaker Series event sponsored by The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. Light refreshments will be served at 6:00 p.m., and Phil Samper’s talk will begin at 6:45 p.m. R.S.V.P. to Carol Cron at ccron@rhsmith.umd.edu.

Other Upcoming Events:

4/19/05  New York City Alumni Reception, Hosted by Robert Kern ’75 and
PricewaterhouseCoopers ►http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/alumni/

4/22-23/05  First Entrepreneurship Research Conference at Smith, Sponsored by the Office of Executive Education and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship.

4/29/05 Netcentricity Conference ►http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/netconference/

4/30/05 Maryland Day ►http://www.marylandday.umd.edu/

4/15 & 5/6 Next Faculty & Staff School Assemblies 1:30 p.m., Rouse Room, 1412 Van Munching Hall.

►Smith Calendar of Events

Server Maintenance
Regular Server maintenance will occur Sunday, April 10th, from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Services not available will include:

• Smith School Web site
• Citrix Application Delivery through eSmith portal
• HCIT Center Server
  
  

Blackboard Support Update
During much of the month of April, both Alice Zhang and Ernie Soffronoff in the Office of Smith IT (the two people who do most of the instructor support for Blackboard) will be out of the office. If you usually contact one of them directly with questions, please be sure to send e-mail to bbhelp@rhsmith.umd.edu instead to guarantee a prompt response.

Notes Tip
To quickly find and identify messages that you receive from certain people, you can color-code them.

To enable color-coding:

• Go to tools>preferences
• Click on the colors tab

To select color-combinations:

• Enter names into the “Sender Names” fields (choose names from your address book by clicking the selection buttons).
• Choose background color and text color

To apply the color scheme, click ok

Messages from the selected person/people will display in the chosen color scheme