Robert H. Smith School of Business Names 2008 Leadership and Excellence Award Winners

College Park, Md. – May 8, 2008 – The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business today announced the recipients of the 2008 Smith Leadership and Excellence Awards. The announcement was made at the Smith School’s annual Undergraduate Awards Banquet. Each year, the school honors business leaders and organizations that have made significant and positive impact on their industries and the community in the mid-Atlantic region.

This year’s Smith Leadership and Excellence Award winners are:

Business Excellence Award
IBM is this year’s Business Excellence award winner for its exemplary business practices and leadership within its industry and the greater community. IBM has built a reputation synonymous with innovation that is relevant to today’s world, and is widely known for its corporate integrity and responsibility.

Leadership Excellence Award
Chairman and principal of the Reznick Group, David Reznick ‘59, was selected as the 2008 Leadership Excellence award winner in recognition of his formidable industry leadership. Among his accomplishments is growing a local, boutique, seven-person firm into a full-service, multi-practice firm with ten offices nationwide, and ranked among the largest in the United States.

Leaders for the Digital Economy Award
Datatel, Inc., an educational software firm, was honored as the 2008 Leader for the Digital Economy award winner due to its transformational impact in changing the way colleges and universities serve their constituents. For more than 25 years Datatel has provided cutting-edge software and service that have created meaningful and customized Web experiences for faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Public Excellence Award
David Hillman, chief executive officer and founder of the Southern Management Corporation, was selected to receive the 2008 Public Excellence Award in recognition of his life long volunteer leadership and commitment to higher education in the Washington, D.C. community. Under his leadership, the Southern Management Corporation has maintained its commitment to residents and the community and Hillman has generously made significant personal donations to the education of Prince George's County students among others.

“I congratulate this year’s Smith Leadership and Excellence Award winners. These organizations and individuals offer exceptional examples of business leadership, innovation and integrity,” said Dean Frank. “In setting the bar for responsible and insightful leadership, they also help the Smith School guide and inspire an up-and-coming generation of business managers.”

The 2008 honorees were selected from nominations submitted by the regional business and academic communities. Finalists were judged by a distinguished panel of business and academic leaders that included members of the Smith School Board of Visitors, the Dean’s Advisory Council, faculty and staff.

About the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 14 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, executive MS, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations on three continents — North America, Europe and Asia.