The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business is seeking nominations for the schools 2006 Smith Leadership and Excellence Awards. 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 Robert H. Smith School of Business and the South Mediterranean University's Mediterranean School of Business (MSB) in Tunisia, announced a strategic collaboration and intent to deliver a Masters of Science Degree in the Management of Information Systems and Technology (MIST). The Smith/MSB MIST program is the first U.S. university degree of its kind to be offered in Tunisia, and will be targeted to information systems and technology professionals in the Middle East, Southern Europe and Northern Africa who aspire to senior management positions.

The Smith School offers congratulations to the 770 undergraduate, 300 MBA/MS, 25 Executive MBA, and 10 PhD new degree holders who graduated on May 22, 2005.  Kevin Plank '96, founder and CEO of Under Armour Performance Apparel, delivered an inspiring keynote address to a packed Comcast Center. "I'm appreciative of the life and business skills that UM taught me," he began. Drawing on his experience as a football player at Maryland and his keen entrepreneurial instinct, Plank recounted his vision and roadmap to "creating the world's greatest football undershirt."

For the past two years eSmith has been evolving into a comprehensive gateway that allows students, faculty, and staff to navigate through a network of public and private information, services, and business functions of the Smith School and the University of Maryland. The internal portal provides a secure infrastructure to present Web-based applications and information to the Smith community, focusing on tools for collaboration, research, and personal productivity.

Potential pitfalls of machine learning include bias and unequal benefits. In healthcare, these stakes are especially serious.

When students enroll in the Advanced R Workshop, they will be taught by someone who stood in their shoes before them. Ravi Pandey, a 2016 Smith graduate of the Master of Science in Information Systems program, leads the class. He knows what it takes to succeed professionally, and he teaches graduate student weekend workshops on R, machine learning and Python.

What separates the top performers from everyone else? According to Googler and Maryland Smith graduate Arhaan Saksena, MS '15, it's a focus on the big picture. "Always ask yourself, what is the larger problem that you're trying to solve?" he says. "It's crucial to define the overarching goal first, and work smartly to resolve the issue." Otherwise, he says, you will end up spending time and resources on tasks that may not be aligned with the actual problem.

By Meredith Cobb Gabrielle Bianchi ’18, MS ’19, is a firm believer in seizing opportunities. Within three years at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, she finished a double major in accounting and information systems, got involved in Greek life and club activities, and earned citations in the College Park Scholars and QUEST honors programs.