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Alumni

Why I Give: Craig ’79 and Lisa Adler, UMD ’79

Craig and Lisa Adler, both 1979 graduates of the University of Maryland, are making a significant estate gift to support students and scholarships, aiming to create lasting impact and expand access to education through the university’s Forward campaign long term.

Alumni

Investing in the Future

Isa Farhat ’96 switched from architecture to accounting during a recession, building a career as a Deloitte partner. A first-generation student, he overcame personal challenges and now gives back to Smith through mentorship and support for future accounting professionals.

Alumni

Alumnus Dials in the Dollars in Senior Role at T-Mobile

Johannes Thorsteinsson, MS ENGR ’05, MBA ’07, leveraged engineering and finance training at UMD to rise to T-Mobile senior vice president and treasurer. He credits Smith for shaping his career and now mentors students, emphasizing curiosity, resilience and relationships.

News

CEO at Smith: Jay Sunny Bajaj, UMD ’99, Talks Business Roots and Big Wins

At the CEO at Smith event, Jay Sunny Bajaj, UMD ’99, shared lessons from building and selling DMI and launching DigiCap, emphasizing purpose-driven entrepreneurship, defining exit goals, supporting others, disciplined leadership and using AI as a tool, not a substitute for innovation.

World Class Faculty & Research

Smith’s P.K. Kannan Named Distinguished University Professor

The University of Maryland named marketing professor P.K. Kannan a Distinguished University Professor, its highest faculty honor, recognizing his global impact in marketing science. The appointment follows multiple recent awards, including AMA Fellow and INFORMS Society for Marketing Science Fellow honors.

NASA SCaN Representatives Outline New Frontiers in Space Business During Smith School Visit

NASA officials visited the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business to discuss Artemis missions, space communications challenges and growing commercial partnerships, highlighting opportunities for business students to support space commerce and help shape the agency’s evolving strategy.

Smith Brain Trust

Faculty Insights On Latest News

Summer Reading List 2025

Get ready for summer with the 22nd Annual Summer Reading List for Business Leaders—featuring Smith School faculty picks on investing, neuroscience, human connection, and more, including a novel inspired by a radio show turned TV series.

Management and Organization

“The Future is Not What it Used to Be”

Ambiguity arises when choices must be made despite unclear outcomes, says Professor J. Gerald Suarez. In today’s fast-paced world, discernment, flexibility, and embracing uncertainty—not rigid control—are key to navigating change, complexity, and an unpredictable future.

Marketing

Small Businesses Take Big Hit from Apple’s Privacy Regulation

Smith marketing professor Daniel McCarthy's research found that Apple's 2021 App Tracking Transparency (ATT) significantly impacted small direct-to-consumer businesses. ATT caused a 37% drop in ad click-through rates and up to a 60% revenue decline for smaller firms reliant on Facebook ads.

Research

Management and Organization

Referred for the Job, Less Welcome by the Team

Employee referrals can aid hiring but carry hidden downsides. Research by Smith’s Rellie Derfler-Rozin finds staff often see referred hires as less meritorious and offer less support, despite strong performance. Clear communication about hiring rigor and involving employees can reduce bias.

Marketing

Where GenAI Consumer Research is Likely Headed

Generative AI expands access to consumer research but risks biased, generic findings detached from real behavior, Roland Rust and Ming-Hui Huang say. They identify democratization, the “average trap” and model collapse as growing threats, urging human-centered methods to prevent synthetic, nonhuman results.

Management and Organization

Debate Training May Help Employees Rise as Leaders, New Research from Smith’s Hui Liao Shows

A study co-authored by Smith School professor Hui Liao finds debate training boosts leadership advancement by increasing assertiveness. Published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, the research shows structured training helps participants emerge as leaders and earned a 2025 Academy of Management award.

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