Smith Business Magazine: Special Silver Jubilee Edition - Magazine - Page 15
INTELLECTUAL POWERHOUSE
THE FACULTY WHO
HELPED BUILD AN
INTELLECTUAL
POWERHOUSE
Before the school became the
Robert H. Smith School of Business,
the faculty were smaller in
numbers—but just as impressive in
research clout. Here are some of
those top faculty, whose standout contributions helped the then
newly named school attract more
star researchers to make it the
intellectual powerhouse it is today.
Professor emeritus Kay Bartol
performed path-breaking research
on how leaders can empower
employees, manage virtual and
distributed teams, and enhance
employee creativity. She developed
courses on leadership, teams and
social networks.
Saul Gass, professor emeritus,
was called the "Chronicler of
Operations Research.” Gass wrote
and edited several books and
an encyclopedia on the history
and development of operations
research. In 1997, he received
the INFORMS Expository Writing
Award, which would later be
renamed in his honor.
Professor emeritus Ed Locke
co-developed goal-setting theory.
It was ranked the No. 1 management
theory and is considered the
leading theory of motivation
in industrial-organizational
psychology. Locke’s research
found that people who set specific,
difficult goals perform better than
those who set general, easy ones.
Professor emeritus Bill
Nickels co-wrote the textbook
“Understanding Business,”
considered the gold standard for
teaching introductory business
courses. He’s also a legend among
students for his “happiness lecture.”
Instead of recommending long
hours and aggressive tactics
for getting ahead, he prescribed
a different course: “Think of
happiness as a goal instead of
something that happens when you
become a success at something.”
Julian Simon, professor of
business administration, was
author of the contrarian book,
“The Ultimate Resource.” Simon
said population growth doesn’t
deplete resources and cause
famine and poverty, but instead
inspires humans to innovate to
increase natural resources or
create substitutes.
Smith Centers Drive Excellence Across Curriculum
The school’s nine Centers of Excellence stand at the intersection of scholarship and business enterprise
Smith’s Centers of Excellence position
students at the cutting edge of business—
even before they don their cap and gown.
The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
is renowned for empowering students’
dreams of starting their own businesses.
It’s the No. 1 graduate entrepreneurship
program in the Mid-Atlantic and has
ranked among the top-10 undergraduate
entrepreneurship programs in the country
for eight years straight.
Michael Hoffmeyer, the center’s
managing director, says it “offers aspiring
student entrepreneurs a wealth of realworld experiences. Entrepreneurial
alumni also receive support, including
access to vital programs like Terp Startup
Fellows, which provides funding and other
assistance for up to two years.”
rhsmith-editor@umd.edu
Aurora Tights, an athletic apparel brand
for performers of all shades and sizes, is a
prime example of how essential Dingman is
at getting student startups off and running.
“Dingman played a critical role in my
entrepreneurship journey,” says Jasmine
Snead ’18, MBA/MPP ’21, Aurora Tights
co-founder and $15,000 grand prize winner
of the 2019 Pitch Dingman Competition.
The Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and
Markets leverages its programs, events and
research to promote a free market.
“We strive to understand and explain
how enterprise and markets create value,
thereby enabling upward mobility, progress
and broadly shared prosperity,” says
Rajshree Agarwal, director of the Snider
Center. “This work is a re昀氀ection of Smith’s
central belief that business done right and
well is a bene昀椀t to society.”
In keeping with its mission to educate,
engage and empower the Smith community,
the Center for Social Value Creation gives
students, alumni and faculty the chance to
learn the latest green business practices.
The Center for Global Business brings
international business to Smith’s doorstep
and takes students abroad.
The Center for Health Information and
Decision Systems collaborates with clinical
and government partners to identify
innovative healthcare solutions.
The Center for Financial Policy; the
Supply Chain Management Center; the
Center for Excellence in Service; and the
Center for the Study of Business Ethics,
Regulation and Crime also number among
Smith’s specialized hubs of scholarship.
fall 2023
/ SMITH BUSINESS: SILVER JUBILEE EDITION
/
13
