College Park, Md. September 20, 2007 The University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business is seeking nominations for the schools 2008 Smith Leadership and Excellence Awards. The annual awards pay tribute to business leaders and organizations that have made a significant and positive impact in the mid-Atlantic region. They will be presented in four categories: Business Excellence, Leadership Excellence, Leaders for the Digital Economy and Public Excellence.

The 29th Annual National Black MBA Associations Conference and Career Fair was held this year in Orlando, Fl., Sept. 11-15, 2007, and was attended by over 12,000 students, professionals and educators. The theme of this years conference was "Relevance: Staying Current, Creative, and Credible." The programming gave students the opportunity to hear from senior executives at some of Americas top companies, talk about what staying relevant means in corporate America and how it is achievable.

Smith School Dean Howard Frank and Christine Stewart, assistant dean for administration, took a hard-hat tour through the North Wing construction site on Friday, Aug. 31. The $21-million, 38,000-square-foot wing of Van Munching Hall is nearing completion, with the crew shooting for a finish date in early October.

A year of planning and hard work culminated in a hugely successful national conference Nov. 2-3, attracting more than 1,400 women MBA students, executives and corporate recruiters to the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. The 25th Annual National Association of Women MBAs Conference and Career Fair featured panel discussions, workshops, a career fair and networking events all designed to advance women in their professional lives.

The Smith School has teamed up with ExecutiveBiz to present "The New New Internet: Web 2.0 for Business" on Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, Va. More than 450 attended the event last year, and 800 attendees are expected to gather this year for the top conference on the east coast focused on Web 2.0. Featuring a nationally recognized line up of engaging speakers and panelists, two tracks for industry and government attendees, a Web 2.0 application competition, and much more, this is the region's major annual Web conference.

During the final day of MBA orientation (August 21, 2007) students from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business gathered at Fort Washington Park where they spent time cleaning up the park, which is a historic fort and part of the National Park Service situated in Maryland along the Potomac River.

During the final day of MBA orientation (August 21, 2007) students from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business gathered at Fort Washington Park where they spent time cleaning up the park, which is a historic fort and part of the National Park Service situated in Maryland along the Potomac River.

Members of the new full-time MBA class kicked off their Smith School experience Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007, the first day of a weeklong orientation to introduce them to Smith and the programs they'll be immersed in for the next two years, as well as provide a chance to meet faculty, staff and each other.

There are 24 new students hailing from nine countries entering Smith's PhD program this fall. The doctoral program is competitive with the worlds top business school, attracting excellent students in every discipline and averaging approximately 25 applications for every student admitted. Currently, there are 100 students in the program. This year, seven students graduated in May and nine students graduated in August 2007.

Howard Frank has announced that he will step down as dean of the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business at the end of the current academic year. Frank will leave his post June 30, 2008, to begin a sabbatical and will return to the Smith School as professor of management sciences in the fall of 2009.