University of Maryland President Appoints Business School Faculty Dr. Hugh Courtney to Professor of the Practice

College Park, MD April 19, 2007 - The University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business today announced that university President C.D. Mote has appointed Dr. Hugh G. Courtney to Management and Organization Professor of the Practice.

The Professor of the Practice title is reserved for faculty demonstrating excellence in the practice as well as leadership in specific fields. Appointees have attained regional and national prominence and, in some cases, international recognition for outstanding achievement. Additionally, an appointee must have demonstrated superior teaching ability. Though not tenured, an appointee holds a terminal professional degree and the rank of professor. Courtneys five-year appointment is the maximum initial appointment; reappointment is possible.

This is a great honor and well-deserved recognition of Hughs numerous contributions to the Smith School and the Management and Organization area, as well as his significant accomplishments in his prior role as an executive within the consulting practice, said Howard Frank, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Hughs expertise and dedication to the school has added to Smiths reputation as a top program with leading faculty and research.

Dr. Courtney is an award-winning MBA teacher and Senior Executive Education Fellow at the Smith School. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his B.A. in economics from Northwestern University. Before returning to academia in 2002, Courtney led the strategy practice at the management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of D&E Communications Inc., a provider of voice, data and video services in Pennsylvania. Courtney also maintains an active consulting practice focused on business strategy formulation in highly uncertain and competitive markets.

Courtneys publications on strategy under uncertainty and competitive dynamics have been featured in leading practitioner journals, such as the Harvard Business Review, McKinsey Quarterly, Optimize, Research Technology Management and Strategy & Leadership. His book on strategy under uncertainty,20/20 Foresight: Crafting Strategy in an Uncertain World, was an Amazon.com business bestseller.

Courtney is the second Smith faculty member to receive appointment to Professor of the Practice; in July 2006, Dr. William J. DeWitt III was named Professor of the Practice, Logistics, Transportation and Supply Chain Management.