February Zine
Welcome to the Smeal Zine!
Here's the latest issue of SMEAL Zine, a monthly electronic magazine designed to keep alumni and friends in touch with the latest news and information from Penn State's Smeal College of Business and its nationally ranked programs and world-renowned research centers.
Brent Ambrose, Professor of Real Estate and Jeffery L. and Cindy M. King Fellow in Business:
Brent Ambrose, professor of real estate and Jeffery L. and Cindy M. King fellow in business, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, the leading worldwide academic organization in real estate. Ambrose joined the Smeal faculty in July, from the University of Kentucky, where he held the Kentucky Real Estate Professorship and served as director of the Center for Real Estate Studies. He holds an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and a bachelor's from Wake Forest University. With a research interest in real estate finance, he currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, the Journal of Real Estate Research, and AREUEA's Real Estate Economics.
February 2007
In Memoriam: Robert W. Koehler, 1936-2007
One of Smeal's most beloved professors, Robert "Bear" Koehler, associate professor emeritus of accounting, passed away on Jan. 3. Koehler joined the Smeal faculty in 1963 and for more than 40 years served Penn State and its students as an adviser, professor, and friend. A memorial service for Koehler will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 2 in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center's Worship Hall on Penn State's University Park campus. For more on Koehler's life and his impact on Penn State and Smeal, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jan07/koehler.html.
Meet Smeal Dean James Thomas In Cities On Both Coasts
Several upcoming events in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, and Washington will provide an opportunity for area friends and alumni of the Smeal College of Business to meet the college's dean and hear the latest news from Penn State and Smeal. At each event, Dean James Thomas will talk about some of the issues and trends currently affecting business and business education and share his vision for the future of the college. Each reception will also provide an opportunity for guests to network with fellow alumni and connect with old friends and colleagues. For details on each event, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jan07/mtd.html.
Smeal MBAs Study Sustainable Development In Costa Rica
Four Smeal MBA students spent a portion of their winter break in Costa Rica participating in a program for graduate students designed to showcase sustainable development and highlight ways that business can protect the environment while still turning a profit. MBA students Kirsten Grenoble, Ian Joseph, Ryan Peckyno, and Annette Woods spent about two weeks on the campus of INCAE, a top Latin American business school in Costa Rica, taking courses and completing case studies with an emphasis on green business. The coursework was complemented by field trips to pharmaceutical research centers, coffee plantations, and the rain forest, among other destinations. For more details on the trip, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jan07/costaric.html.
Business Leaders Share 'Executive Insights' In New Smeal Program
A new program is launching this month at Smeal to bring high-profile business leaders to the college to connect with students, faculty, and administrators to share valuable insights from their experiences in business. Leadership in Focus: Executive Insights kicks off on Feb. 23 with a visit from Joseph Amado, vice president and chief information officer of Philip Morris USA. Future Executive Insights participants include Jim Turley, chief executive officer of Ernst & Young, and Andrew Seck, vice president of corporate affairs for Shell. For more on this new program, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jan07/execinsi.html.
Smeal Ranks Among Financial Times' Top 25 U.S. MBA Programs
For the second year in a row, the Smeal MBA Program ranks 25th domestically on the Financial Times' annual ranking of MBA providers. The newspaper ranks Smeal 10th among U.S. public colleges and 43rd internationally. Additionally, the report ranks the college 23rd internationally in research published and 10th in North America for graduate salary increases. For more on the Smeal MBA Program, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/mba/.
Research Paper Identifies Environmental Opportunities, Challenges For Business
With recent natural disasters bringing more attention to environmental issues like global warming, a new paper from Smeal's Center for Global Business Studies provides a comprehensive look at the current state of the environment and offers recommendations for individuals and industry to reverse current ecological degradation. In "An In-Depth Look at Environmental Degradation Challenges and Opportunities," the first paper in a series of 12 on international trends affecting business, CGBS researchers make clear the effect of business and industry on all parts of Earth's ecology--”land, atmosphere, freshwater, forests coastal and marine areas, and biodiversity. For more details on the paper, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jan07/cgbs.html.
Philadelphia Stock Exchange Closing Bell Rings At Smeal
Smeal Dean James Thomas closed trading on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange on Jan. 19, ringing the closing bell in Smeal's Trading Room. At 4 p.m., Thomas rang an original Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive bell, which was donated to the Smeal Trading Room by alumnus Howard Trauger '69, '78 MBA, president of Schuylkill Capital Management LLC. For more details, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jan07/phlx.html.
Media Round-Up
Members of the Smeal College faculty are contacted regularly by the world's news media. In January, faculty members were featured in media outlets such as USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and The Associated Press. For a complete list, please visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/innews/index.html.
Programs and Events
Penn State Executive Programs is currently accepting reservations for its upcoming programs. Please visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/date.html for more information or click the links below for some of the specific programs being offered.
March 18-23
Designing and Leading Competitive Supply Chains
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/dlsc.html
April 15-20
Developing Managerial Effectiveness
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/dme.html
April 23-27
The Human Resources Management Program
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/hrmp.html
