Excellence Award in Honor of William D. Bradford Launched

“Diversity is when a graduate of Columbia University is the keynote speaker at Smith School event” joked Dean Frank. He was addressing attendees at the William D. Bradford Minority Awards Banquet held on April 28th, 2005 at the UMUC Inn

The target of Dean Frank’s joke was James Degraffenreidt, chairman and CEO of Washington Gas. In his key note speech on Diversity and Management, Degraffenreidt emphasized that while each business has its own definition of diversity, only those companies that view diversity as integral to their business success rather rule to comply to will profit from it.

The highlight of the evening was the launch of the Smith MBA Excellence Award. The award which was instituted in honor of William D. Bradford will be awarded to students who demonstrate leadership and broad community involvement. Accepting the honor, Dr Bradford reiterated his belief in the importance of education in closing the economic disadvantages that minorities continue to face.

The banquet is co-hosted by the Black and Hispanic MBAs and is now in its 12th year. It promotes, acknowledges, and celebrates the professional and academic accomplishments of Blacks and Hispanics in the community.

This year's recipients include:

 

Award	Awardees
Alumni achievement award	Federico Sercovich, MBA ’03, Citigroup Ricardo Benn, MBA ’99, Booz Allen Hamilton
Outstanding staff award	Steve Tiufekchiev, Director of Employment Development, OCM
Corporate Excellence Award	PepsiCo

UM Students Trek to Omaha to Meet Warren Buffett

Over 30 Smith students will be traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, on May 22, 2005 to meet financial guru, Warren Buffet, in a trip organized by the school’s Finance Banking and Investment Society.

Speaking on the importance of the trip the organizer Shai Dardashti, a finance major, comments, “Ultimately, the appeal of Warren Buffett is not so much his immense fortune as much as his phenomenal wisdom and intellectual generosity. Sharing a few moments in Buffett’s company is sure to leave long lasting impressions on anyone.”

Warren Buffett, the second-wealthiest man in the world, is worth more than $40 billion. He is the chair and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., an insurance and holding company. The company holds major stakes in numerous companies, such as Coca-Cola and Geico Car Insurance. Dardashti is one of his most devoted followers. Dardashti’s room is described as a shrine to Buffett with dozens of books written about and by him.

Todd Salomon, MBA ’06, concurs with Dadashti’s sentiments, saying, “Warren Buffet is my idol. I think the fact that he is worth so much yet has lived in the same house for over 40 years is really cool. I’m really looking forward to hearing from him on his philosophy on life, business and money.”

In a trip that will cost each participant roughly $ 400, the student will spend one and a half hours with Buffet in his Kiewit Plaza, Nebraska headquarters. The students are hoping that it will be possible for Buffet to accompany them to lunch at his favorite dining spot; The Gorat’s Steakhouse.

Warren Buffet rarely accords interviews. According to The BBC, an eBay charity auction for a private lunch with him closed for $250,100. Other schools that Buffet has agreed to meet with include Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

Smith School in the News

News of the Smith School’s Supply Chain and Management Center’s expansion of radio frequency and identification (RFID) research and development with Avaya as well as the development of a “virtual community” prototype was the basis for mention of the school’s cutting-edge research in an article in BusinessWeek online (5/5) as well as a business brief in the Washington Post (5/5). Peter Morici, professor of international business, commented on General Motors’ recent woes and various trade and economic issues in the Wall Street Journal (4/28), Bloomberg (5/3), Dow Jones (5/2), United Press International (5/3), CNN/Money (4/28, 5/5), Associated Press articles on globalization (5/9), General Motors (5/8) and General Motor’s CEO (5/7). Morici was also quoted in a number of other leading business news outlets.

For more Smith School media highlights and links to articles, visit Smith School in the News.

More School News:

Technology @ Smith

Protect Your Data - Back It Up Regularly!

There are many ways data can be lost. Data can be lost through theft, spilled coffee, accidentally hitting a delete key, viruses, a power surge, or just failing hardware. It is very important to make sure your important data is backed up regularly.

The easiest way to do this is to save important data on your network drive rather than your computer hard drive (the C: or D: drive). Your personal space on our network is on K: and departmental shared space is on O: or P:. Remember that others share these departmental drives, and data can be deleted by any one using the shared space, but only you can access your space on K:. All network drives are backed up to tape every night by Smith IT and can be retrieved for up to one month.

When you make backup copies of your files store them somewhere away from your computer. If you were to keep your backup next to your PC, and there was a flood or fire, it could destroy your data copies as well as your PC. All Dell computers in Van Munching are equipped with CD-RW drives. The Helpdesk has external CD-RW and DVD burner hardware that can be borrowed if you need a way to back up a personal computer. You will have to purchase the blank CD or DVD media. Of course, you can back up to any other storage media if you have another preference.

Deciding what to back up is highly personal. Here are some suggestions of files to consider:

• Internet Explorer bookmarks. On Smith IT Windows XP computer images this default is D:\documents and settings\username\favorites. Backup the folder.
• Documents you’ve created. Ideally these will be in you’re “My Documents” folder, but also check any personal folders you may have created; C:\My Documents, or D:\My Documents; and your desktop.
• Lotus Notes Archive files. If you have archived your email, you will have an archive mail file stored locally, back this up. The default location for this is C:\notes\data, and the default filename is “username.nsf”. If you have an archive icon on your Notes desktop, you can right click on the icon and look at its properties to see what it is called and see where it is saved.
• Your Lotus Notes local address book or names.nsf. The default location for laptop users is in C:\notes\data. Desktop users - the file is usually already on K:\notes.
• Digital photographs or music you’ve purchased.
• Software you purchased and downloaded from the Internet and wish to re-install someday.

A backup can be as simple as copying a folder to the storage media. Simply right click on the folder you wish to save, copy it and paste it to the backup device. If you have more than one folder to backup a good tool to use is Microsoft’s backup utility. It can be accessed from the Start menu under Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Backup. Microsoft’s website contains a lot of information about using the backup utilities. Please refer to: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/howbackup.mspx for detailed instructions and tips.

Paying to recover data from a broken hard drive usually costs well over $1000, and cannot be guaranteed. Data on a PC that is stolen is just gone. Don’t risk losing important work. Back up often!

Happy Hour in VMH Courtyard, sponsored by GMA

Thursday, May 12, 5:00 p.m.

Celebrate the end of the academic year! Join fellow Smith students, professors, and administration members at the LAST happy hour in VMH Courtyard!
 

We Need Volunteers to Star in an Official Smith School Photo Shoot!

Do you want your face to be featured in the Smith School's new marketing collateral? The Office of Marketing Communications is looking for volunteers to star in a photo shoot on Thursday, May 12, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. A professional photographer will be taking shots around Van Munching Hall all day.

The requirements: MBA student, dressed in professional attire.

Please send e-mail to Kathy Marmon at kmarmon@rhsmith.umd.edu with your availability or questions.

Wave of Hope - Tsunami Relief Silent Auction

Supported by the Terp Athletics

A Briefing about the Wave of Hope Organization:
Wave of Hope is a student-run, non-profit Organization, established for the solitary purpose of rebuilding schools and houses in Sri Lanka that were affected by the devastating tsunami.

The efforts by students are hundred percent voluntary and hundred percent of the proceeds are directed to the construction process of houses and schools in Sri Lanka through a partnership with a non-government organization in Sri Lanka. Also, through its entrepreneurial focus, Wave of Hope is creating opportunities for volunteer students to gain real life business experience and learn important skills by participating in fundraising activities.

Currently, Wave of Hope has enjoyed a tremendous success through various fundraising events through the past few months, from a carwash to a dinner dance. Additional information about the Wave of Hope Organization as well as about the rebuilding process in Sri Lanka can be found at, www.waveofhopes.com

Tsunami Relief Silent Auction:

As the next fundraising activity, Wave of Hope is organizing “A Silent Auction” to sell two basketballs and a football signed by the Terp Football, Men’s Basketball, and the Women’s basketball team players and coaches.

The auction will be held during the week of May 20th through May 27th. It will be auctioned through the Wave of Hope Web site. www.waveofhopes.com/auction.

The descriptions of the items to be auctioned are as follows:

• 1 Terrapin football: signed by 29 players and 4 coaches, including Ralph Fridgen
• 1 Terrapin Men’s Basketball: signed by 10 players and 3 coaches, including Gary Williams
• 1 Terrapin Women’s Basketball: signed by 11 players and 4 coaches

The balls will be sold to the highest bidder at the end of the auction week. There will be a minimum bid of $100 per item. The highest bidder will receive the following:

• The item for which they are the highest bidder
• A certificate of appreciation from the founders of the Wave of Hope Organization
• A letter of appreciation from the Sri Lankan family (the recipients of the house, which is built by the funds from the auction)

National Business Women’s Conference

Tuesday, June 7, Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill
National Women’s Business Center Teams with DC, MD & VA
Elected Leaders to Chair Business Women’s Conference June 7
Inaugural Conference Marks First Time Three Powerful Economic
Regions Join Forces to Promote Advancement of Business Women
 

The National Women’s Business Center, Inc. (the Center), a non-profit organization serving entrepreneurs at all stages of business development, in partnership with Maryland and Virginia Governors Robert L. Ehrlich and Mark R. Warner and Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams today announced the First Annual National Business Women’s Conference. The Conference will be held on June 7, 2005, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.

“This day-long Conference offers a forum for women at every stage of professional development to gather invaluable resources that advance their business goals,” explained Penny Pompei, President of The National Women’s Business Center. “Whether you are an entrepreneur, a corporate executive, successful business owner or new to the workforce, this Conference is designed with you in mind. It is for, by and about successful women.”

The National Business Women’s Conference will feature remarks by Mayor Williams and Governors Warner and Ehrlich. The Opening Session and Luncheon will be highlighted by keynotes from prominent business leaders. The morning and afternoon Breakout Sessions will present insights by industry experts on key topics related to:

• Federal Procurement
• State Issues & Advocacy
• Marketing & Public Relations
• Business & Financial Management
• International Trade

Small business owners will have the unique opportunity to schedule one-on-one appointments with federal agencies and corporate buyers interested in quality women-owned suppliers. And, to top off a highly energized, information-packed day will be a reception and networking that precedes the NWBC’s Annual Awards Dinner and Gala.

A first-rate, unprecedented Conference that garners the enthusiastic support and willing participation of the leaders of the States of Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia, this unparalleled event is devoted to women in business. It is a celebration of the successes of women entrepreneurs and business executives and a launching pad for those on the way up to take their careers to the next level. The National Business Women’s Conference offers something for every woman, no matter how junior or senior your status is in the business world. The Conference price is $245 ($215 NWBC member) if paid before May 31, after that date the cost is $275. Registration for information is available online at www.businesswomensconference.com or by calling (202) 785-4922. Sponsorships are still available and details can be found at the above website.

About The National Women’s Business Center
The National Women’s Business Center is one of the only organizations in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area dedicated to delivering entrepreneurs in the metro region with high quality, accessibly-priced business training and support to grow their businesses. A non-profit, 501(c)(3), the Center funding is provided in part by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership. The Center also receives contributions from corporations, foundations and individual donors. To learn more about the Center and the full range of services available to entrepreneurs who want to start or expand their own business, visit www.wbiznet.biz.

About The National Business Women’s Conference
The Inaugural National Business Women’s Conference is sponsored by the National Women’s Business Center (NWBC) and Co-Chaired jointly by the Governors of Maryland and Virginia and the Mayor of Washington, D.C. This is the first time that three independently powerful economic regions have come together to promote jointly business women. Targeted specifically to women who are active in, or about to become active in a successful business enterprise, the one-day nonpartisan Conference will feature keynote presentations from prominent business and political leaders. Educational sessions and invaluable networking opportunities will round out the day with the evening highlighted by the NWBC’s Annual Awards Gala. For more information on the Conference and to register for this one-of-a-kind event, call the NWBC at (202) 785-4922 or visit www.businesswomensconference.com.