Friday, May 23, 2008

The University of Maryland yesterday announced that G. Anand Anandalingam would become dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business on July 1. Anandalingam, 54, will succeed Howard Frank, who oversaw an aggressive fundraising campaign and expansion of the school.

Anandalingam said he wanted to boost the school's endowment to $100 million. His predecessor set the same goal about six years ago and got halfway there.

Anandalingam also said he wanted to focus on globalizing the school's programs, exposing students to key countries such as China, India and Brazil, and creating ventures focusing on sustainable businesses.

"I'd like to see us being able to create leaders who are able to really be entrepreneurial in many countries of the world . . . and focus on new energy technologies, new ways of creating products and services," he said.

While Smith has been ranked in the top 10 U.S. business schools for the quality of its research, Anandalingam said he wanted the school to become more selective and recruit top graduate students outside Maryland.

"A lot of things are in motion for the university to be in the same league as a Berkeley or Michigan, and I'm pretty confident we will get there in the next five years," he said.

Currently the school's senior associate dean, Anandalingam has spent most of his career in academia, earning his PhD in operations research with a minor in economics from Harvard University and bachelor's and master's degrees from Cambridge University. He also has held academic and leadership positions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia.

-- Anita Huslin