5/27 - Weekly Email From the Masters Programs Office

Dear incoming Master of Science in Supply Chain Management student,

I am excited to welcome you to the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business as a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management student. My name is Gabrielle Gibson and I serve as advisor for the students in the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management program and will be working closely with you during your time at the Smith School. I am based in the Smith School Masters Programs Office (MPO), and our goal is to provide assistance and exceptional service to masters students. A full list of MPO team members is available at https://networth.rhsmith.umd.edu/smith/team.

Every Wednesday prior to Orientation, you will receive an email from me with information to help you prepare for the fall. Every Smith School student has a "Smoogle" email account-please access Smoogle by following the instructions in the attached document. Be sure to check your Smoogle account regularly; important communication from the Smith School will be sent to this account during your time here. Summer emails will be sent to both your Smoogle email account and your personal account. After orientation begins, emails will be sent only to your Smoogle email account. Additional information about technology, including how to connect to the University of Maryland network through a VPN, is available at https://networth.rhsmith.umd.edu/welcome/technology.

Please visit the Incoming Student Website if you haven't done so already. This website will be updated throughout the summer with information about course registration, orientation, and more. To connect directly with classmates who are also entering the program this fall, you may join the closed Facebook group at http://go.umd.edu/fbscm15. There is also a LinkedIn group for all current Specialty Masters students at http://go.umd.edu/smithmslinkedin.

There is still time to register for English Skills for Business Professionals, which is designed exclusively for any Smith School masters student who speaks English as a second language. This program is being offered because communications skills are incredibly important in the business world-according to the GMAC 2014 Corporate Recruiters Survey, employers rank communication skills twice as important as managerial skills for new hires. By registering for this 2-week program led by Maryland English Institute (MEI) faculty, you will advance your English skills, learn to enhance your career interviewing presence, and:

• participate in presentations with the Smith School Office of Career Services coaches
• meet classmates before the start of the academic year
• meet your academic advisors
• participate in "Career Leader," an assessment tool designed specifically to help business school students identify their most ideal career paths and work cultures (for the first 25 registrants ONLY)

This program will benefit anyone who speaks English as a second language. MEI offers a free diagnostic tool to help students gauge their English proficiency at http://mei.mytgweb.com/register.jsp.

Mark your calendars for these important dates:

• June 3: Course Registration Opens (instructions will be provided in the June 3rd weekly email)
  
• August 3 - 14: English Skills for Business Professionals
  
• August 17: International Student Orientation (required for international students)
  
• August 18 - 21: New Student Orientation (required for all incoming students)
  
• August 24: Term A Classes Begin
  

Please contact me with any questions and I will respond to your message as soon as possible. I look forward to working with you.

Regards,