Robert H. Smith School of Business’s Mark Wellman Recognized as 2008 Outstanding Faculty Educator

College Park, Md. – October 10, 2008 – University of Maryland students and their parents selected Mark Wellman, Tyser Teaching Fellow at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, with the 2008 Outstanding Faculty Educator Award. The award is presented each year by the Maryland Parents Association to honor a faculty member who demonstrates a deep commitment to providing an exemplary education experience for students. Wellman is a faculty member in the Smith School’s management and organization department and serves as director of the Business, Society & Economy program of the university’s College Park Scholars program. He will be honored at an award ceremony tomorrow at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on campus.

“This award is a fitting honor for Mark’s dedication to students and teaching,” said G. “Anand” Anandalingam, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “He has had such an impact on our students and his commitment to excellence exemplifies the Smith School’s emphasis on providing a top-notch undergraduate experience.”

The Outstanding Faculty Educator Award recognizes a faculty member who enhances the student experience through dedication to teaching and the ability to deliver subject matter in a stimulating and creative way; by grading fairly and objectively; by demonstrating interest in students’ personal and academic achievements; and by demonstrating an awareness of and commitment to diversity. Nominations were solicited from current undergraduate students in late September and an award committee of Parents Association members reviewed the nominations to select Wellman.

“For Dr. Wellman, learning goes outside the convention of a four-wall classroom,” Smith School junior Camille Tongco wrote in her nomination of Wellman. “Having sat in Dr. Wellman’s classes, I would love to have him as my professor for all eight semesters. … The fact that he takes his time to create a small learning environment with over 80 students is amazing.”

Wellman teaches in the areas of global strategy and organizational change. He has received numerous awards for teaching, including the Allen J. Krowe Teaching Excellence Award for his outstanding contribution to business education. His approach includes innovative classroom activities, such as a mountain-climbing simulation as a lesson in teamwork and decision making. As director of the Business, Society & Economy College Park Scholars program, Wellman has organized several co-curricular activities, including a trip to Walt Disney World last May to learn about the Disney approach to business and management.

Before returning to the classroom in 2001, Wellman served as the assistant dean of the MBA/MS programs at the Smith School from 1990-2001. During his tenure, he was part of an ambitious effort to enhance the reputation of the MBA program.

Prior to arriving at Maryland in 1990, he served as the director of graduate studies in business at Bowling Green State University. Wellman holds a Ph.D. in business administration with a focus on organizational behavior and development from the George Washington University School of Business Administration. In addition, he has an undergraduate and graduate degree from Bowling Green State University.

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 13 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.