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The next speaker event in the Business Ethics Lecture Series will take place on April 19 (5:30 - 7 p.m. 1524 VMH). Join Dr. Mark Taylor, academic fellow at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), for an insightful look at the basic elements of fraud. Taylor will offer attendees a better understanding of the causes and effects of fraud, a look at specific case studies, as well as an overview of his role at the SEC.  ►Highlights from Previous Lectures

Smith Hosts Sixth Annual Netcentricity Conference
The Sixth Annual Netcentricity Conference will be held on April 28, bringing together experts in information systems, operations and supply chain management and presenting thought leadership in new business paradigms that will affect the 21st century digital enterprise.

The Smith community is invited to join us as we glimpse into the future of digital business from multiple perspectives including business leaders and scholars. The Netcentricity Conference is hosted by the Center for Electronic Markets & Enterprises. Faculty members, check your e-mail for the special registration code for complimentary registration, or contact Faye Baker for more information. For complete program information and to register online, please visit the Netcentricity Conference Web Site.

Tom Curley, CEO of the Associated Press to speak at Smith's DC Campus
Mr. Curley will speak about adapting news organizations given the changing content delivery environment on Saturday, April 15th. Corporate Venturing (BUMO 730) will host Mr. Curley from 11:00-12:30 in the Ronald Reagan Building. Reservations are required and should be sent to Azi Gera at agera@rhsmith.umd.edu

Tom Curley became president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press on June 1, 2003. He is the 12th person to lead the AP since its founding in 1848. Under Curley's leadership, the AP is evolving from a Wire service to an interactive global news network geared to meet the content needs and marketplace demands of members and customers worldwide.

Curley has restructured senior AP management, created an international division to drive content and new business overseas, charted the development of technology to create a multimedia database for all AP content, and encouraged initiatives to celebrate exceptional and distinctive AP journalism.
Curley was previously president and publisher of USA TODAY, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper. Since 1998 he was also senior vice president of the newspaper's owner, Gannett Co., Inc., publisher of 100 daily newspapers in the United States. USA TODAY circulation under Curley grew to more than 2.3 million copies a day.

Curley was the original news staffer on the project that led to the creation of USA TODAY. He was assigned in 1979 by then-Gannett Chairman Al Neuharth to study the feasibility of a national newspaper. He later worked in every department of the newspaper. In 1986, he became the newspaper's sixth president and in 1991 added the title of publisher.

At the age of 15, Curley began his journalism career covering high school basketball for his hometown Easton (Pa.) Express. He continued working for newspapers during college, and joined Gannett's Rochester (N.Y.) Times-Union in 1972 as night city/suburban editor. He became director of information for Gannett in 1976 and began coordinating Gannett's Newspaper research projects, which produced more than 50,000 interviews on media use.

He became editor of Gannett's Norwich (Conn.) BULLETIN in 1982 and publisher of The COURIER-NEWS at Bridgewater, N.J., in 1983 before returning to USA Today in 1985.
Curley holds a political science degree from Philadelphia's La Salle University and a master's degree in business administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a vice chairman of the boards at both schools.

Maximizing Your Internship Search
Industry professionals in consulting, marketing and finance shared their insights on the internship search with first-year MBAs on Thursday, March 30 in a session titled “Maximizing the Spring 2006 Internship Search.” The session was moderated by representatives from the Office of Career Management.

The session began with questions and answers about interviewing. “The interview should be more than an exchange of information. It is a genuine dialogue,” Dick Hughes ’78 (GVPT) said. Hughes is the director of Business Practices and Contracts for Lockheed Martin Transportation & Security Systems.

Liza Landrum, director of Merchandising for Dockers for Women, also shared her views. “Be prepared for a skills assessment. Listen for cues.” Landrum said.

The session also addressed the internship experience itself. “Absorb the culture,” Landrum said, “It is not just a networking experience. There is a job that needs to get done.”

Laura Paglia, a human resources manager at Bank of New York, gave two important traits to success in securing a job offer through the internship process. “Flexibility and initiative,” Paglia said.

Sanjay Purohit MBA ’05, a senior consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, wrapped up the session with an overview of the internship search. “It’s surprising how easy it is to set yourself apart and how rarely it happens,” Purohit said.

Part-Time MBA Students To Host Happy Hour Fundraiser
Part-time MBA students will be holding a happy hour on April 28th, 2006. The group will gather at the Eighteenth Street Lounge to raise awareness and to give support to The Future of Music Coalition and The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts; both organizations dedicated to the arts.

The Future of Music Coalition is a not-for-profit collaboration between members of the music, technology, public policy and intellectual property law communities. It seeks to educate the media, policymakers, and the public about music and technology issues, while also bringing together diverse voices in an effort to come up with creative solutions to some of the challenges in the music industry.

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts brings community together in a safe and nurturing environment to support the creative gifts and well-being of children and youth, primarily those from families with low incomes. In collaboration with community artists and arts institutions, the Sitar Center helps young people to discover and develop their talents in music, dance, drama, writing, and visual arts.

The Eighteenth Street Lounge is an ultra-hip club with a strict door policy and the evening will consist of live music, artwork, giveaways, and more. For more information on the event, please visit http://www.happyhourcharities.com/

Reducing Airport Congestion, Research by Michael Ball
Airport congestion is a difficult problem, and the set-up of the current system of airport slot allocation only makes the problem worse. If airline A acts responsibly and reduces its schedule at a congested airport, it gives its competitors the opportunity to schedule more flights at that airport. If one of those competitors decides to increase its schedule, airline A may lose market share. The risk of permanently reduced market share keeps airlines overscheduled at congested airports like Chicago’s O’Hare and New York’s LaGuardia.

Michael Ball, Orkand Corporation Professor of Management Science in Smith’s department of decision and information technologies, thinks that a market-driven approach to slot allocation might prove to be the solution. In a recent paper Ball examines the possibilities of using auctions to allocate national airspace resources and thereby control congestion.
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