Smith Launches New Initiatives for Undergrads

Gearing up for another exciting school year, Smith is pleased to welcome 373 new freshmen. There are more than 2600 undergraduate business majors at College Park and 240 at the Shady Grove campus. Academic opportunities for Smith undergrads are more abundant than ever and students will be more connected than ever with a brand new undergraduate network, UNet.

In an address to the university last September, University of Maryland President C.D. Mote outlined a new program called the President's Promise. “The President’s Promise will guarantee a special program opportunity for all students entering as freshmen in Fall 2005," said Mote. "The programs will include study abroad, internships in government and the private sector, research and independent study, and so on. When fully implemented, this Promise will complete our pledge. My personal view is that international experience should be a high priority for all our students. In 2004 one cannot be fully educated without an understanding of the values and circumstances of other cultures that can only be acquired through first-hand experience. There is no replacing being there,” said Mote.

Undergraduate Fellows Program
The Smith School's new Undergraduate Fellows Program fulfills that promise and will offer a set of special opportunities to all directly admitted freshmen and sophomores and at a later date all students, (direct admits as well as internal and external transfer students). "These students will participate as a cohort in a broad range of academic and co-curricular activities to enrich their education, and create a strong bond of community among the members of the class," outlines Smith School Dean Howard Frank in the school's strategic plan for 2005-09.

"The Freshman Fellows will be introduced early in their academic careers to the distinctive features of Smith School’s approach to business education and research," says Frank in the plan. "A key objective is for students to gain an appreciation of cutting-edge research and development in the rapidly converging business and technology fields. This will link directly to the vision of the university as a leading research institution."

Current Student's Network: UNet
Just launched, UNet -- the new undergraduate network for Smith School students -- is a centralized interactive communications tool for all undergraduate business students. The network allows the Office of Undergraduate Studies to distribute information to students and for students to update their official UM information, fill out and save forms, upload and save documents, register for events, keep tabs on degree requirements, check out student organizations, and access the eSmith portal. Students who update and save their profile by September 16th will be entered to win a free 6 GB iPod Mini.

Business Week (September 9-15)
A series of events targeted at Smith undergrads, coined "Business Week" offers a chance for new students and returning students to network and meet members of the Smith community. Events include:

Freshmen Convocation
Friday, September 9, 4:30 p.m.

Alumni Tailgate— Terps vs. Clemson
Saturday, September 10 2˝ hrs before kick-off

SUSA BBQ and First Look Fair
Monday, September 12, 5-7:30 p.m.

Meet the Deans, Program Directors and Faculty Luncheon
Tuesday, September 13, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

OCM Resume Workshop
Tuesday, September 13, 5:30 p.m.

JPMorganChase Signature Event
Wednesday, September 14, 5:30 p.m.

Career Premiere
Thursday, September 15, 5:30 p.m.

For more information and to register for the events, access UNet from the Undergraduate Web site. UNet is based on the school's Alumni Network, which is accessible by all Smith alumni and MBA students: http://www.alumninetwork.rhsmith.umd.edu.