May 222013
 

I have a lot of favorite events at the Smith School – but none is more exciting than commencement. For more than a decade, I’ve been able to attend the commencement ceremonies at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and each and every one is very special to me. Well, when I graduated in 2010 with my EMBA – that might take the cake as the best for obvious reasons!

On, Monday, May 20, 2013, the nervous energy of more than 1,000 soon-to-be graduates and thousands of friends and families filled the Comcast Center. When the procession began and a long line of students stretched all the way from the Small Gym into the floor of the stadium – the feeling was just incredible.

You can feel the excitement in this video that we made during the one hour leading up to the ceremony:

I want to wish a very heartfelt congratulations and good luck to five of my former and current student workers who graduated this spring: Megan Burkhart, Marcus De Paula, Manas Kulkarni, Damien Power, and Zach Huselid-Glass. Their help with various projects in the Office of Marketing Communications has been invaluable (Smith School’s new website, Holiday Videos, Real 660 Video Series, Smith School Photo Gallery, Student Blogs, etc…).

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May 222013
 

Guest Blogger: Kady Babs, Lecturer at University of Queensland

Masters in Business Administration is a postgraduate qualification for professionals who are looking for sure fire ways to progress in the business management arena. An MBA could skyrocket your earning potentials as well as widen your job prospects and opportunities. All applicants of this course are required to have at least 3-year experience in managerial roles and relevant work. Hence, it is typical to find mature professionals from various countries and cultures with a span of working and business managerial experience ranging between five to ten years.

Why take an MBA?

Students who want to advance their career and profession and change their job sector or function are those who prefer to have a Masters in Business Administration. There are various obvious benefits which could follow suit if you successful obtained an MBA:

  • Create more opportunities for better jobs with higher positions or managerial functions.
  • Improve and expand your career network and contact list.
  • Significantly increase your salary and compensation.

Before you enrol on an MBA program, make sure you are fully ready and prepared to take on the challenges of this postgraduate course. It is not only time consuming but it also requires tons of your efforts and even financial resources. You can always find experts to give you valuable and sound advice or recommendations before applying for an MBA.

What to expect from an MBA course?

MBA programmes comprehensively cover all major facets and features of business. This includes important business aspects such as economics, banking, accounting and marketing. Teamwork and group projects are usually the key to successfully completing this course because much of the program learning and requirements are done in collaboration with other students or through group networking.

Full time MBA programmes require two years for completion while part-time courses could take five years to finish. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to consult first with a particular university or business school since different learning institutions vary in the time frame.

Applying for an MBA

You need to directly apply to the university or business school to be qualified for a slot in an MBA program. You need to submit your curriculum vitae or CV along with an essay to complete your application. All business schools require this essay where you must include some salient information and details:

  • Personal details including who you are and other essential information.
  • The list of things you have already achieved in your professional career.
  • The reason why you want to pursue an MBA course.
  • The list of things you want to achieve after taking the course.

Most business schools require completion of the Graduate Management Admission Test of GMAT for their enrolment prerequisite along with the passing score to qualify. GMAT is generally a demanding and computerized evaluation which basically assesses the written and numerical skills of the candidate. A good skill level of the English language is likewise required to qualify for the course.

How much does an MBA cost?

MBA tuition fees are definitely expensive. The annual tuition fee for MBA courses could vary from one business school to another. Those institutes which are at the higher end of the scale could definitely charge a much higher rate which could approximately range from $60,000 to $120,000. The tuition fees could be for a yearly or two-year MBA program. Nevertheless, there are also business schools offering funding assistance such as scholarships for students with academic excellence records.

MBA is a treasured and lucrative credential which is considered a remarkable learning investment. It is your stepping stone to a more progressive and highly compensated professional career especially in the business management industry.

The Article is brought to you on behalf of Kady Babs working for Selftesttraining.

 

 

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 Posted by at 2:56 pm  Tagged with:
May 062013
 

A cause close to my heart is the Be Great Foundation, which was started by friends I met during the EMBA program at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Each year the foundation sponsors a charity walk to help support their cause: childhood immune deficiency. This year’s Seek & Find Dr. Bear Family Walk is less than a week away on May 18. Please consider joining in the walk or participating virtually with a donation.

Just yesterday, there was a great segment on Fox News about the foundation and the upcoming event:

Be Great Foundation, Fox News, May 5, 2013

For more details, visit:

http://www.begreatfoundation.org

 

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May 062013
 

Everyone at the University of Maryland is all a-buzz with excitement because the Dalai Lama is coming to campus tomorrow!

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet will be giving the Sadat Lecture for Peace at the UMD Comcast Center to a sold-out crowd. If you don’t have tickets, the event will be streaming live – visit http://www.umd.edu.

We’re especially excited in the Office of Marketing Communications because our own John Hetherington will be the emcee of the event! John has been “The Voice of Smith” at our commencement ceremonies for many years.

I’ll be live tweeting from the event, so follow along at @SmithSchool and @AArford #DalaiLamaUMD

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May 062013
 

Last week I got re-acquainted with our Behavioral Lab at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. I’ve used it many times in the past to conduct website usability studies and this week we are going to kick off our next round of usability testing for our new website with a  Tobii Eye Tracker study. The eye tracking system analyzes where the subject is looking on the computer screen. This is especially helpful for design and website navigation optimization. For example, if we ask a participant where they might find the tuition rate for our MBA program we can see where they are actually looking on the page to find the answer instead of simply whether or not they were able to find it at all. In design studies, it is extremely helpful to see if the flow of the page is what was intended. Do participants look at the headlines first? The graphics? The navigation? The logos? Is the message being effectively conveyed?

Having a Behavioral Lab available for this kind of testing is one of the great advantages of working in the university setting. I’m looking forward to another insightful study in the lab! Check back and I’ll post a video example of our findings.

http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/behaviorlab

 

 

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Apr 172013
 
Smith's Got Talent, 2012

Smith’s Got Talent, 2012

The third annual Smith’s Got Talent extravaganza will take place on Thursday, April 18 outside Van Munching Hall (5:15 to 9 p.m.). Smith’s Got Talent is a variety show featuring the talented MBA students at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Sometimes, they wrangle a faculty member to participate too – but you’ll have to be there to see who shows up for the challenge!

The entire community is invited to watch the talent show, which will be opened by The Smith Experience Graduation Showcase. The Smith Experience is six credits of experiential learning that can be taken across the five areas: consulting, global, social value creation, investing, and entrepreneurship.

Always a highlight of the school year, Smith’s Got Talent features a variety of performances by Smith MBA students – everything from dancing to comedy.

Last year, I was really wowed by the dance number… I’ve heard that there is another one in the line-up this year!

If you can’t make it, follow along on Twitter @SmithSchool #SmithsGotTalent for live highlights.

See highlights from last year online here:

http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/stories/2013/SmithsGotTalent.aspx

 

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Apr 162013
 

On Friday, April 19, 2013 the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business will partner with IBM to host the Third Annual Business Analytics Workshop: “Leveraging the Power of Analytics over the Internet.”

I’ve been attending the event since its inception and each year I come away with a new way of thinking about data. This year, the focus is on the analytics of Internet data. This topic is right up my alley.  (In 2011 the focus was on risk, and in 2012 on healthcare.)

The keynote speaker is Paul Buckman, Director of the Division of Online Communications at the FDA, and he will speak on the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Web priorities and challenges.

Check back to this blog for highlights after the event and check out Twitter at #AnalyticsWorkshop @SmithSchool for live updates.

For more information, visit: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/analyticsworkshop

 

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Apr 152013
 

Trying to get a new job or establish yourself as an expert? Want to utilize the web to enhance your personal brand?

Here are some tips to make sure you are on the right path for having a consistent online personal brand.

  • Use a current professional looking picture.
    This doesn’t have to be taken by a professional, but it needs to look sharp. Most executives have an official head shot.

  • Stay consistent with your message across social media channels.
    Don’t try to be a finance expert on Twitter and a marketing expert on LinkedIn. You should use social media to establish yourself in whichever industry you are targeting. Make sure that the info is consistent with what’s on your resume.

  • Include your social media links with your resume.
    Some employers aren’t allowed to use social media when evaluating a job candidate unless the links are included on your resume.

  • Modify security options to limit public views, if appropriate.
    Specifically for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

  • Be careful selecting who you connect with online.

    Your connections can help make or break your reputation.

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 Posted by at 10:46 am
Apr 102013
 

Cupid’s Cup is one of the biggest events held at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. It’s also a great event for social media – live tweeting at this event is always fun. Check out #CupidsCup to see the top tweets from the day.

I am very interested in this year’s winner -Earth Starter and their product NourishMat. “The Nourishmat is a garden blanket tool designed to ‘take the guesswork out of gardening.’ It allows users to grow a bounty of vegetables and herbs without the otherwise necessary experience, time, and resources required by traditional gardening. The best part about the Nourishmat is that anyone can use it.” Find out more at: http://nourishmat.com/

About Cupid’s Cup
Cupid’s Cup Business & Innovation Showcase and Competition is where you’ll find the coolest innovations from the UMD campus and our region all under one roof. Pick the brains of entrepreneurs from all kinds of businesses. Take a break from the the dining halls and your usual lunch spots and visit the food trucks. Get to the competition early to score one of our limited-edition t-shirts. And definitely stay to watch our competitors duke it out in front of Under Armour Founder Kevin Plank. Find out more at: http://www.cupidscup.com

 

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Mar 222013
 

Action Learning Project (ALP)

In the EMBA program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, the Action Learning Projects (ALPs) really make a big impact on the lives of students and their companies. There are three ALPs in all during the program – entrepreneurship (build a new business from the ground up), business problem solving/consulting (help solve a problem for an existing business), and leading change (tackle an issue in your own workplace). Find out more about ALPs online here: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/emba/program/alp.aspx

The reason I bring this up almost three years after my graduation from the program is this: one of our most ambitious ALP entrepreneurship projects is now officially open for business: First Sight Vision Care in Maple Lawn, Md. My good friend Kiati – who was part of our infamous Baltimore Study Group, for long-time blog readers – and his wife Natalie are celebrating the grand opening tomorrow, Saturday, March 23.  I expect to see many EMBA friends there and hope that you can make it too! Find out more at http://www.firstsightvisioncare.com or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/firstsightvisioncare

Look for updates next week!

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