MEDIA RESOURCES

DATE: August 19, 2005

CONTACT: communications@mail.cox.smu.edu

SMU Cox Associate Dean, Dr. Marci Armstrong, Elected to the 2005–2006 GMAC® Board of Directors

Dallas (SMU) –

SMU Cox School of Business proudly announces that Marci Armstrong, Associate Dean of Masters Programs at SMU Cox School of Business, has been elected to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) Board of Directors. Her term began July 1^st, and she will serve the Board as Representative Director for a period of three years.

“This honor speaks volumes to the depth of knowledge Marci brings to graduate business education,” said Dr. Albert W. Niemi, Jr., Dean of SMU Cox School of Business. “She has been a strong advocate for excellence in MBA programs and a highly visible international leader. She will be a valuable addition to the Board for years to come.”

Membership criteria used to evaluate Dr. Armstrong and other board members came from four categories including Industry/GMAC Knowledge; Corporate Experience; Personal Qualities; and International and Diversity Experience. Each category examines different aspects of a candidate’s life displaying his most exemplary leadership and personal attributes.

Dr. Armstrong currently occupies one of four Representative Director Chairs out of the fifteen-member Board. Each Representative Director is voted into office by obtaining at least half of the other members’ votes and must hold a position in a voting school’s graduate program. These rules make the Representative Director Position one that is coveted yet difficult to obtain.

Other members recently elected to the Board include:

• Andrew J. Policano, Dean of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, was elected to complete the term of departing Dean Robert J. Swieringa of Cornell SC Johnson School of Business, which ends June 30, 2006.
• Karen L. Newman, newly appointed Dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, was reelected to a three-year term as a Dean Director.
• Stephen C. Lewis, Director of Strategic Planning in the Manufacturing Executive Office at the Ford Motor Company, was reelected to a three-year term as a Board-Elected Director.
• Lawrence P. Fisher, Managing Director and Senior Resident officer of Bessemer Trust Company, was elected to a three-year term as a Board-Elected Director.
• Kelly R. Wilson, Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh, was elected to a three-year term as a Representative Director.

SMU Cox is distinguished by nationally and internationally recognized programs including the school's Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute of Entrepreneurship, American Airlines Global Leadership Program (GLP), and Associate Board executive mentoring. SMU's Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, from BBA and full-time MBA to Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), and Executive Education. SMU Cox is ranked among the top business schools nationally and internationally by major publications including BusinessWeek, Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report.