University of Marylands Top-Ranked Engineering and Business Schools Team Up to Launch Executive Education Series in Innovation Management

College Park, Md. November 6, 2007 The University of Marylands A. James Clark School of Engineering and Robert H. Smith School of Business today announced a novel collaborative executive education series that offers the best of the two world-class professional schools. Pairing award-winning entrepreneurs and faculty from business and engineering, the program will provide participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed and excel in todays rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive global economy.

The joint Certificate in Innovation Management Program is a five-module series, starting December 7, that focuses on specific aspects of business and innovation. Participants completing four of the one-day modules earn a certificate in Innovation Management from the Robert H. Smith School of Business and the A. James Clark School of Engineering. The program is designed for entrepreneurs, small-business owners and executives in corporate venturing.

In the current landscape, with the incredible pace of technological advancement and globalization, an entrepreneurial approach to innovation that considers business and technology is essential for companies to succeed and thrive, said Howard Frank, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Participants will benefit from the valuable combination of Smith and Clark expertise in these areas and complete this unique, collaborative program with a better ability to think and act as innovators.

Innovation has always been the key to growth, to revitalizing your firm, and to creating value for your customers, your shareholders and society, said Herbert Rabin, interim dean of the A. James Clark of School Engineering. In todays world, I cant think of a better way to learn to manage innovation than from a team of stellar engineering and business faculty and industry veterans, all with extensive experience in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Program modules include:

Strategies for Managing Innovation
Effective Negotiation Skills
Innovative Product Design and Development
Essentials of Financial Analysis
Marketing in Technology-Driven Industries

Registrants of a minimum four modules also receive free admittance to the Clark Schools Whiting-Turner Business and Entrepreneurship Lecture Series, a series that brings leading technology enterprise thinkers to campus each fall and spring. Additionally, registrants will gain free admittance to the next Smith School CIO Forum, an annual fall event that delves into challenges faced by chief information officers and information technology professionals, and the spring Netcentricity Conference, an event that attracts visionaries to share the latest thinking and innovations in the world of digital networks.

The fee for individual modules is $975; registration for a four- or five-module series is offered at a 20 percent discount off the single-module costs. Partial scholarships are available to a limited number of participants from early-stage entrepreneurial ventures. For more information about the Innovation Management Program and to register online, please visit www.execed.umd.edu.

About the University of Marylands 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.