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.

College Park - February 14, 2005 - The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business marketing department continues to be distinguished for its role in setting leading marketing theory and practices with the announcement of two awards from the American Marketing Association. Roland T. Rust, holder of the David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, and Stephen L. Vargo, visiting professor of marketing, were both honored with awards at the American Marketing Association 2005 Winter Marketing Educators Conference, on February 1114, in San Antonio, Tex.

Roland T. Rust, chair of the marketing department at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, was recently named editor of the prestigious Journal of Marketing. This journal has been ranked number one in two of the last three surveys of major marketing journals. It is the oldest and most frequently cited journal in the marketing field and enjoys unique impact and visibility with the international marketing community. The journals broad audience ranges from academic members to the business community in the marketing field.

Last month five Smith MBAs -- Jayaraman Anantharam, Ryan Fleming, Lea Kleinschmidt, Catherine Philbin, and Estella Y.J. Rong -- participated in the Fifth Annual Kenan-Flagler Marketing Case Competition at the University of North Carolina.

On Wednesday, February 18, 2004, the American Marketing Association presented an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the challenges facing the retail industry firsthand from Frank Guzzetta, CEO and president of Hecht's.

The Twelfth Annual Frontiers in Services Conference attracted 163 marketing professionals and academics from 24 countries to the Washington, D.C., area October 23-26, 2003. The conference was held at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda.

More than 500 marketing experts from around the world attended the INFORMS 25th Annual Marketing Science Conference hosted by the Robert H. Smith School of Business, June 12-15, 2003. With 12 concurrent sessions and more than 400 presentations, the conference was the largest ever held at the school, and the largest Marketing Science Conference ever organized.

Which commercials from the Big Game flopped, flourished or found the right tone?

With the Super Bowl less than two weeks away, marketers are gearing up for this year's latest batch of advertisements. But after such a tumultuous year, what's the right tone for advertisers to strike?