College Park, Md. December 5, 2006 The University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business is posting a last call for nominations for the schools 2007 Smith Leadership and Excellence Awards by the Dec. 14 deadline for submission. The annual awards, which pay tribute to business leaders and organizations that have made a significant and positive impact in the mid-Atlantic region, will be presented in four categories: Business Excellence, Leaders for the Digital Economy, Leadership Excellence, and Public Excellence.

The Smith School is pleased to announce the Top 15 % Teaching Award recipients for 2005-06. The Top 15% Teaching Awards are based on faculty performance during the previous academic year, consisting of fall semester, winter semester, spring semester, and summer semester sessions I and II, in that order.

Smith faculty members brought the Smith Schools thought leadership to Europe in a series of workshops Tuesday, October 3 at the 16th Zrich MBA Congress. Rhonda Reger, professor of management and organization, Gurdip Bakshi, professor of finance, Judy Frels, senior director of custom programs, and Rob Sheehan, academic director for executive MBA and executive degree programs, were among thought leaders presenting at the conference, which focused on leading management issues.

The Smith School hosted the 2006 AMA Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium, July 12-16. Smith's Roland Rust, David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, and Gabriel Biehal, associate professor of marketing, were the co-chairs of the prestigious annual marketing event. All Smith marketing PhD students were able to attend event, which enables top doctoral students meet top marketing faculty for four days of academic sessions and social events.

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is excited to announce some favorite books in the "10th Annual Top-10 Summer Reading List for Business Leaders" for 2013, as recommended by members of its faculty and staff.

College Park, Md. April 17, 2006 For anyone who uses just half the buttons on their cell phone, or has spent hours poring over a new users manual only to give up in frustration, recent research from the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business explains why too many product features result in a phenomenon called feature fatigue.

Roland Rust, Holder of the David Bruce Smith Chair of Marketing, was interviewed by National Public Radio′s Weekend Edition (March 11) about his research -- co-authored by Rebecca Hamilton, assistant professor, and Debora Viana Thompson, doctoral student -- on feature fatigue. Rust gives examples of products suffering from feature fatigue and explains to listeners what they can do to avoid getting caught in the feature fatigue trap. Listen Now!

On March 8, 2006, WUSA-TV, Channel 9 in Washington, D.C., showcased research by Roland Rust, Holder of the David Bruce Smith Chair of Marketing; Rebecca Hamilton, assistant professor; and Debora Viana Thompson, doctoral student; on feature fatigue, or the phenomena of too many product features turning consumers off. Television news anchor Bruce Leshan interviewed Rust at his office in Van Munching Hall where Rust showed examples of products suffering from feature overload as well as those that offer a better experience for users because of their simplicity.

The University of Maryland chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) used to have just 15 members. Today, thanks to the efforts of Professors Mary Harms and Steve Vargo, and the 15 carryover members from last year, that number has multiplied 10 fold, and the chapter now boasts 150 active, national members! This dramatic increase, along with an overnight trip to New York City and increased philanthropic efforts, was enough to catch the attention of the national AMA.

By Henry P. Sims, Jr.From the Spring '05 issue of SMITHbusiness OK, I confess I'm addicted to The Apprentice. And judging by conversations in my MBA class, so are my students. I'm no TV critic, but I would give the program, and executive Donald Trump, an A for entertainment. From week to week, we tune in and wonder which of the aspiring executives will survive, and we wait for the next twist from The Trumpster.