This Issue

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' nationally ranked programs and world-renowned research centers.
 

Garber Center Fund Investment

This year, Smeal MBA students in the "Venture Capital Practicum" said "no" to a biotech company seeking capital because of poor governance of their intellectual property. Then there was the software company that couldn't close a sale. But this April after extensive due diligence, the students pumped $50,000 into a small Pittsburgh company that specializes in purchase outsource services. That's $50,000 with plenty of strings attached, including preferred stock rights, voting rights, and board representation. It is made possible through the Garber Venture Capital Fund. Read about this online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/sep02/mba.html.

Academy Of Management Honors Smeal Faculty

Faculty members in the Department of Management and Organization received a large cache of awards for their research during the Academy of Management "2002 Meeting" in Denver, CO. The Academy of Management is the leading professional association of scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organizations. Learn more about the recipients and their research online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/aug02/smeal.html.

Accounting Professor Honored

James McKeown, the Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal Chaired Professor of Accounting, has been named recipient of the 2003 Outstanding Educator Award of the American Accounting Association (along with Professor Ray Ball from the University of Chicago). This highly prestigious award recognizes Jim's substantial and continuous contribution to accounting education from his scholarly endeavors in research and in teaching. The award will be presented to Jim at the next Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association in Hawaii in August 2003. Read more about this online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/sep02/mckeown.html.

Lectureship Series

Leonard Lauder, Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., will present the "Melvin Jacobs Retail Leadership Lecture Series," at the Penn State Smeal College of Business. The lecture series is named in tribute to Melvin Jacobs, a 1947 graduate of Penn State and former Chairman and CEO of Saks Fifth Ave. Mel's wife, Rosalind "Roz" Jacobs, and daughter, Peggy Learner, established the lectureship series to support lectures by outstanding leaders and chief executives who are shaping the future of the retail industry. The event is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m., Thursday, October 24, at the Nittany Lion Inn, Ballroom A and B. It is open to the public. Learn more about the speaker and the series' namesake online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/oct02/lauder.html.

U.S. News Ranks Undergraduate Program

U.S.News & World Report released its 2003 "Best Undergraduate Business Programs" issue on September 23, 2002. The Smeal College of Business ranked 18th nationally among private and public universities, tied with three others, in the "Best Undergraduate Business Programs" category. Smeal College was ranked 12th among public universities in the same category. Six of seven departments ranked in the top 20 of their respective disciplines, including Supply Chain Management which ranked 5th in the country. Read about this online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/sep02/rankings.html.

Wall Street Journal Ranks Program

Penn State's Smeal College of Business MBA Program was listed among 66 of the best business schools in the world according to recruiters responding to a Wall Street Journal-Harris Interactive poll published on September 9, 2002. The Penn State Smeal College of Business MBA program was tied for 17th among U.S. public universities. Read about this online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/sep02/wsj.html.

Networking Forum

Dr. Christopher von Schirach-Szmigiel, Associate Dean for Executive Education at Penn State, will join Dean Judy Olian for a panel discussion on Corporate Leadership and Ethics: Restoring the Trust, Saturday, November 16, 6 p.m. at the Downtown Marriott in Los Angeles, CA. Please join us to enrich your knowledge and network with fellow alumni, and sample Creamery ice cream! For more information, contact The Smeal College Alumni Office at 814-865-7831 or alumni@smeal.psu.edu.

Web Site Insights

A pretty Web site shouldn't be your goal, advises Ralph Oliva, executive director of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets. "A great, functional Web site is an important asset for addressing broader constituencies, PR applications, investors, and prospective employees or students. But that's not where the focus is turning. The real action is in custom, digital/networked connections between trading partners, which enable tighter linkages between firms, and significant reductions in cost and cycle time. Read his thoughts on the changing face of Web Sites, which were featured in ComputerWorld, online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/aug02/pretty.html.

Media Round-Up

Members of the Smeal College faculty are contacted regularly by the world's news media. Throughout August and September, faculty members appeared in New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Press, Fortune, Time and Newsweek. Some of the significant news stories are found online at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/innews/index.html.

Class Notes & Events

For information on your classmates and other Smeal alumni, visit Class Notes at www.smeal.psu.edu/alumni/classnotes.html. You can receive regular updates on events by completing the "Alumni Information Form" found online at http://java.smeal.psu.edu/jsp/alumni/info.jsp.

New Address?

Change your address, phone and other information at www.alumni.psu.edu/membership/address/default.htm.

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