On October 3, 2008, students from all of Smith’s MBA programs gathered at Van Munching Hall for the Smith Consulting Forum, a full-day event featuring speakers, panels, and networking opportunities. Now in its tenth consecutive year, the forum is a collaborative effort of the MBA Consulting Club, faculty, staff, alumni, and corporate partners. Those who attended were able to enjoy interactive consulting-related activities, with a focus on learning about the consulting profession and making personal connections with professionals in the field.

Students in management and organization lecturer Paulo Prochno’s Global Strategy class received a special guest lecture from Israeli professor and former Philips Israel CEO Dr. Uzi de Haan, on Thursday, October 2, 2008. De Haan discussed his experiences at Philips and provided an overview of the current business climate in Israel.

The Smith School's Fall Ball, one of the year's most highly anticipated events, will take place on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at the Marriott North Bethesda. Come join Dean Anand and over 300 of your fellow Smith part-time and full-time MBA students, faculty and administration for socializing, dancing - and yes, even some networking. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a sit-down dinner at 8 p.m. A DJ will start spinning tunes around 9 p.m., and the dancing will continue until 11:30 p.m.

It’s not often over 12,000 professionals, industry experts, community leaders, company representatives, and MBA students gather in one place. But at the National Black MBA Association’s (NBMBAA) conference and exposition, it happens every year. Smith first- and second-year MBA students had the opportunity to be a part of one of the nation’s largest development, recruiting, and networking events for black professionals.

The Smith School welcomes hundreds of new faces this fall -- all ready to start an exciting new school year at the University of Maryland. About 130 new full-time MBA students were the first to arrive at Van Munching Hall in mid-August for a week-long orientation that included special speakers, team-building activities and community service.

Orientation for first-year MBA students ended Friday, Sep. 5, 2008, with a service project at Takoma Educational Center, part of the Washington, D.C., public school system. Over 100 MBA students from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business traded their business attire for “TeamMBA” t-shirts and jeans and volunteered their time for tasks ranging from cleaning out storage rooms to leading story time for elementary students.

April 25, 2008 marked the final round of the annual Smith Technology Challenge Case Competition at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. The competition is designed to refine and develop the strategic thinking and analytical skills of second-year, part-time MBA students. Participation in this event is an academic requirement and began in March with a Sprint conference call and culminated with final team presentations at Van Munching Hall in College Park.

College Park, Md. - May 6, 2008 - The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business today announced that alumnus Robert H. Smith, former chairman of Charles E. Smith Cos. and naming donor to the school, will deliver the keynote speech at the May 23 graduation ceremony. The event will be held at 4 p.m. at the Comcast Center on the university's College Park campus.

Where do issues like drugs in the workplace, insider trading, off-shoring, and credit card debt meet Shakespeare? For more than 100 first-year MBA students in the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, ethical business issues and dramatic performance collided on center stage on a Saturday night at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, May 3, 2008.

Even the most casual followers of broad macroeconomic trends are familiar with the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and the rapid future economic growth that is predicted for each. But many people are relatively unaware of a less discussed, but just as critical, new emerging global market: Africa. In 2003, foreign investment in sub-Saharan Africa totaled $140 million; by 2007, this figure had increased exponentially to $1.4 billion.