Message from the Dean

Murray M. Dalziel, Ph.D.

Each year, as I reflect on the impact the Merrick School of Business has on our students and our city, I am amazed by what we’ve accomplished. You’ll notice it too, as you read the stories in this issue of The Merrick Exchange. There is no shortage of good things happening here at the University of Baltimore.

As a professional school, our focus is on launching and developing the professional and entrepreneurial careers of our students. We actively create research that advances knowledge about business. We help our students use this knowledge because in the end, our students are at the heart of what we do.

We strive to provide them opportunities to take their careers or startups, to new heights. And in this issue, we highlight our student entrepreneurs who have competed in multiple competitions over the past year, including, for the first time, students who competed in a pitch competition to address critical development needs within Baltimore's middle-market neighborhoods. The prize for that competition— financing up to $1 million in a "guidance line of credit" from Baltimore Community Lending—an U.S. Treasury certified nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution. Three student projects were selected, totaling almost $2 million in investments.

This year, our Global Field Study courses took our students to Thailand, Great Britain and Finland. Led by Associate Professor of Information Systems, Eusebio Scornavacca, our students provided insights and advice to four Finnish startup companies. Real-world work is nothing new to our students—most of them are working adults. Their perspectives and experiences were unique in helping the companies and based on the news coverage in Vaasa, our students made a great impression and represented UB well.

Of course, the core of our success stems from the dedication of our faculty to our students, to our mission and to scholarly research. Several of our faculty members were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments in teaching and scholarly pursuits, these included:

2019 Merrick School of Business Outstanding Article of the Year, Robert Felix, assistant professor of accounting
2019 UB President’s Faculty Award Winner: Professor of Accounting Mikhail Pevzner
2019 University System of Maryland Board of Regents Award Winner: Frank van Vliet, senior lecturer in marketing and entrepreneurship
2019 Fulbright Specialist, David Lingelbach, associate professor of entrepreneurship for his recent work in Myanmar.

One of my favorite achievements this year, is the launch of the M.S. in Cybersecurity Management program and the new specialization in Risk Management and Insurance that is offered in our B.S. in Business Administration program. In both cases, industry executives, work closely with our faculty to address workforce gaps in these areas. The cybersecurity management program, takes people working within the industry, and focuses on building their leadership skills, their abilities to evaluate and reduce risk, evolving their knowledge of cybersecurity strategy, and policy development. All things that insiders say the workforce needs. The new specialization in risk management and insurance, is the only program of its kind offered in Maryland. Key executives, including the Maryland Insurance Commissioner, we involved in the development of the curriculum. There is some great momentum and opportunities for our students like access to internships, scholarships, and job placements.

None of this could be possible without your support. Whether you give your time by serving on an advisory board, speaking to a student group, or you actively sharing your Merrick School of Business experience with your network — your support matters to the health and future of the school. In particular, I want to thank you for your financial commitments. Your investment opens opportunities for our students and faculty to do great things, close to home or abroad, and in the classroom or in the community. For that I am very grateful.

Take your time and explore this issue. There is a lot discover.

Sincerely,