ISSIP Honors Smith’s Roland Rust for ‘Advancing Service Innovation'
Smith’s Roland Rust has been named a 2025 ISSIP Fellow for pioneering contributions to service research, including founding key conferences and journals, and advancing AI scholarship in the field. He ranks among the world’s top 100 business research scientists.
AERC Honors Smith’s Lemma Senbet
Lemma Senbet, Dean’s Chaired Professor of Finance at Smith, received the African Economic Research Consortium’s Distinguished Service Award for his longstanding contributions to economic research, policy, and capacity building across Africa. He was also recently appointed to the Bretton Woods Committee.
Smith Helps Quantify the Federal Government's Financial Impact on Maryland
Smith School faculty and graduate students partnered with the Maryland Comptroller’s Office to analyze the economic impact of federal spending and employment, helping state leaders assess risks and build a more resilient future for Maryland’s economy.
FedEx Acquires Company Founded By Four Smith Faculty
RouteSmart Technologies, founded by Smith School professors Bruce Golden, Michael Ball, Larry Bodin, and Arjang Assad, was acquired by FedEx. The route optimization company, built on academic research, will continue operating independently under FedEx Dataworks with plans for global expansion.
20 Faculty Teams Awarded Smith Internal Research Grants
The Smith School has awarded 2025 Smith Internal Research Grants to 20 faculty-led teams to support high-impact research in areas including AI, entrepreneurship, labor markets, corporate communication, and online learning, fostering innovation across disciplines.
Smith Faculty Receive UMD Grants for AI Research Projects
Smith School professors earned AI research seed grants from UMD’s AIM Institute. Louiqa Raschid and Eaman Jahani will use AI for public health; Lauren Rhue will explore legal limits of AI-generated content. AIM awarded 22 grants across interdisciplinary categories.
Ending Poverty, Classroom Tools and Job Algorithms
The fourth annual Workshop on AI & Analytics for Social Good gathered nearly 100 experts to explore AI’s societal impact, featuring 17 speakers and topics like wildfire containment, algorithmic fairness, empathy in data labeling, and AI-driven text analysis.
MSI Recognizes Smith’s Liye Ma, Bobby Zhou for ‘Significant Research Contributions’
Smith School associate professors Liye Ma and Bobby Zhou were named 2024 MSI Scholars by the Marketing Science Institute, recognizing their influential research. The honor fosters collaboration among mid-career marketing academics, shaping the field’s future through scholarship and real-world impact.
Smith’s Rebecca Ratner Leads the Association for Consumer Research
Rebecca Ratner, dean’s professor of marketing, is serving as president of the Association for Consumer Research, leading efforts to expand member engagement, professionalize operations and amplify research impact. She will deliver her presidential address at ACR 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Risk Matters: It’s Time to Merge Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Merging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a critical step before privatization, argues Clifford Rossi, to reduce systemic risk, eliminate duplicative costs, and simplify the mortgage system—setting the stage for a safer, more efficient housing finance market transition.