“Pasta Salad” from Italy, “Meat Pastry” from Russia and “Kisir” (a type of cold appetizer) from Turkey…these were among the many mouth-watering food that some 80 attendees had a chance to relish at the European Night last Thursday. With the  International Club back in full swing after a rewarding year of successful social events such as Chinese Night, Italian Night and Indian Night, the European Night provided a perfect opportunity for our fellow European students to showcase the cuisine and beverage variety of Greater Europe to the Smith community. Countries represented in this year’s European Night included Spain, Russia, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Turkey.

So how did the European students go about preparing the cuisine? Said Arlene Hendrix,  who was originally from Croatia, “I was able to purchase homemade pastries from a  cafe run by a family from Bosnia Herzegovina (Croatia's neighbor country). Incidentally, the owners baked desserts for both countries so I was able to obtain apple and chocolate pita pastries (no relation to pita bread) from Croatia, Hurmasica (fruit pastry) and Baklava from Bosnia Herzegovina, and Vasina Torta (a rich chocolate cake with ground nuts and orange peel) from both countries.” 

In addition to an delectable spread of European cuisine and beverage, the “Narghile” (also known as “Hookah”) – a water pipe that is commonly smoked by people in Turkey and the Middle East and consisted of normal tobacco plus flavors such as apple, strawberry and lemon - was an obvious draw among the students, as Steve Sion and a couple of others from the full-time MBA class could attest.   

Aptly summed by Yu (Fred) Qian, currently a second-year MBA student and the strategic advisor at the International Club, "The event has been a great experience for me. I have had an opportunity to taste some of the European foods without traveling abroad. At the same time, it was just relaxing for me to talk to fellow classmates out of their hectic school schedule.”

Smith Students Flock to NSHMBA

This week Smith students will flock to Anaheim, California, for the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s (NSHMBA) 16th Annual Conference and Career Expo in search of dream jobs and internships. Billed as the “greatest gathering of Latino professionals,” the NSHMBA conference has become one of the most popular job and career expos for Latinos and non-Latinos alike.

“The word is out that attending at least one of these national conferences is a smart career move, and as a result, I think this year's NSHMBA Conference is shaping up to be one of the best attended by our students,” says Steve Tiufekchiev, associate director of employer development for Smith's Office of Career Management.

“When you combine this higher rate of participation [by] students, advance conference preparatory workshops sponsored by the Black and Hispanic MBA Clubs, and a more upbeat MBA hiring market, we believe more offers will be generated from this event than those of recent years. Overall, MBA recruiting continues to show improvement in all major sectors and we are looking forward to a very busy '05-'06 recruiting season,” adds Tiufekchiev.

The conference is expected to attract 7,000 attendees and over 300 companies and is intended to provide networking and career advancement opportunities. “NSHMBA is a great opportunity to meet new people and network with recruiters from many companies in one same place,” says second-year student and Smith Hispanic Association president Nicolas Gompf.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend a variety of professional development workshops and resume clinics. In addition, companies such as Pepsi, Dell, and Proctor & Gamble, to name a few, will host networking dinners. However, the opportunity to meet face-to-face with recruiters is what will bring most students to Anaheim. Gompf, who attended last year advises, “do the homework, research companies in advance … and do a good follow-up to the people you met….” The three-day affair takes place September 29th – October 1st a the Anaheim Convention Center.

For more details visit http://www.nshmba.org/.

 Smith MBA Runs for Congress

Smith MBA/JD student and candidate for the House of Representatives Paul Lang hosted a party on September 27^th to raise funds for his campaign. The event, held at Santa Fe in College Park, brought fellow MBA students together in a show of support for the would-be Congressman. Lang, a native of Bucks County, PA, is running for the Democratic nomination for Congressman of the Eighth Congressional District in Pennsylvania. The Democratic Primary will be held in May of 2006.

A “staunch supporter of the middle class” and life-long Democrat, Lang is challenging Republican incumbent Michael G. Fitzpatrick on issues such as Central American Free
Trade Agreement, middle-class tax cuts, and stem cell research. “My hope is to bring Bucks County back to mainstream values and away from Fitzpatrick’s far right platform,” said Lang.

A self-described “military-man,” the 28-year-old U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant (retired) is a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Management. He is currently pursuing his MBA/JD and is expected to
graduate in May of 2006.

Fall Bash Highlights

Smith MBAs Enjoy a Night Out in Adams Morgan

16th Annual Alumni Golf Tournament Attracts More Than 100 Friends of Smith School

On Monday, September 26, more than 100 friends of the Smith School spent a windy day at the University of Maryland Golf Course, networking and trying for the elusive hole-in-one on the 11th to win a BMW! After 18 challenging holes, participants enjoyed dinner, a silent auction, live auction, and a raffle.

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Next Scheduled Segment...

Thursday, September 29, 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 30, 6:00 a.m. Sunday, October 2, 11:30 a.m.

How Underwriters Price IPOs: What You Need You Know

If you own stocks or plan on purchasing them in the future don’t miss this week’s Smith Business Close-Up. We’ll discuss how underwriters price IPOs and how the IPO
market has changed considerably over the past 10 years.

There are many reasons why a company goes public. Typically, an IPO involves the stock from a young and oftentimes little-known, if not obscure, company. But occasionally, well-known and well-established firms do "go public." Understanding how underwriters price IPOs may mean the difference between a high performing investment and a costly financial move.

Professor Gerard Hoberg, assistant professor of finance, will discuss his recent research on IPOs, which examines the sources of underwriting profits, insider trading patterns, and performance in competitive industries on this week's edition of Smith Business Close-Up.

Smith Business Close-Up can be seen bi-weekly on Maryland Public Television's Business Connection. Watch Gerard Hoberg on Thursday, September 29, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, September 30, at 6 a.m., and Sunday, October 2, at 11:30 a.m. on public television stations throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, including:

• WMPB-TV (Ch. 67), Baltimore
• WMPT-TV (Ch. 22), DC metro/Annapolis
• WCPB-TV (Ch. 28), Salisbury
• WFPT-TV (Ch. 62), Frederick
• WWPB-TV (Ch. 31), Hagerstown
• WGPT-TV (Ch. 36), Oakland