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Students from
Around the World
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Chirag Thakkar, Mumbai, India
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Eduardo Vargas, Peru |
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Tina Liu, Shanghai, China |
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"I chose Smith because of its global exposure, its
aggressive strategy in promoting its reputation, its proximity to the art center
of the world Washington, D.C., and its friendly environment. I am happy to say
that all these values apply, and have exceeded my expectations." |
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Songtao Yu, Henan, China |
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Iffy Kaja, Nigeria |
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Meena Shah, United States |
Diversity at Smith
Students representing dozens of countries, faculty members from around the
world, fields of study ranging from marketing to
supply chain management to information systems. The University of Maryland′s
Robert H. Smith School of Business is diverse on practically all aspects of
consideration.
In the Princeton Review′s 2007 rankings, the
Smith School′s MBA program was ranked #9 in the U.S. for offering the greatest
opportunity for minority students. The ranking is based on percentage of
students from minority groups; percentage of faculty from minorities; and
student assessment of resources for minority students, how supportive the
culture is of minority students, and whether fellow students are ethnically and
racially diverse.
In the Smith School profile, Princeton Review editors quote Smith
students who point to the schools large number of international students and the
diverse blend of backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, and experiences
(38% international, 24% minority, 31% women -- MBA 2006 stats). Despite
these differences, students say, there is an amazingly strong team-oriented
feeling here at Smith School.
Editors point to the Smith School's long list of outreach programs for
minority and disadvantaged students, including
Kaleidoscope: Advancing Diversity at Smith, a fall semester recruitment
event for underrepresented minority students; Women and the MBA, a symposium for
women about the advantages of earning an MBA; Management Leadership for
Tomorrow, a partnership that guides minority students through the MBA
application process; online chats for prospective MBA students from
underrepresented groups; and participation in minority professional
organizations conferences.
Clubs & Organizations
About a dozen Smith School and student clubs are focused on bringing members
together who have similar interests in gender, nationality, religion, and sexual
orientation. They host dozens of events each year -- many annual initiatives --
to educate the larger community on club-related issues, raise money for charity,
and bring together the larger Smith community. These social events are so
popular with students, faculty and staff that advanced registration is needed so
enough food and drink can be supplied!
There are more than two dozen clubs for full-time MBAs at the Smith School.
The
MBA Association
oversees the student organizations.
There are approximately 20 undergraduate business student clubs at UM. The
Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA)
oversees the organizations.
Diversity at Work
In talking about the Women and the MBA open house program at Smith, a
former women′s MBA association president said, "We wanted to offer students
the opportunity to see how successful the women in our program have been. When I
was making the decision to enter an MBA program, I had a lot of questions about
the MBA program and entering a field where women continue to be
underrepresented. My experiences at Smith pushed me to do things I didn′t know I
was capable of doing." The Smith School is proud to be the host of the 2007
Woman MBA National Conference and Career Fair.
The
diversity roundtable was a great opportunity for me to talk about workplace
realties with people of all ages - from undergraduates just entering the
workplace to people on their second or third careers, said one MBA student of
the
2006 Annual Diversity Roundtable. The event is hosted by the Black MBA
Association, the undergraduate Black Business Association, the Smith Pride
Alliance, and the Smith Association of Women MBAs . More than 40 students,
faculty and staff came together to have honest discussions about how they value
all manner of diversity -- age, culture, education, gender, national origin,
physical appearance, religion, sexual orientation, and physical abilities both
in their workplaces and lives.
 The
Black MBA Association and the Hispanic MBA Association also host the annual
William D. Bradford Minority Awards Banquet, which began in 1983. A previous
president of the Hispanic MBA Association, shared his thoughts regarding the
importance of diversity and the purpose of the banquet. Diversity is now a
competitive advantage and we, as part of the Smith School, should create the
means for recruiters to build a diverse work force. The
12th Annual Bradford Minority
Awards Banquet [2005] main purpose is to reflect the
great potential of diversity within the Smith School. It was a great success
thanks to the support we received from the Smith community and from the
sponsoring companies. Having experienced the amazing response from people of
different organizations, I hope in the future we can organize more events
towards the same goal.
 Clubs
and organizations hold events like Asia Week, Diwali Night, European Night,
and Touch of Africa, annually which are big draws for students, faculty
and staff.
The highlight of the 2006 and 2007 Week of Asia events was a high-end
fashion show featuring students modeling traditional attire from Asian countries
including China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, and India on a professional runway. The
dean and associate dean even made a special appearance.
Take a look at video and photos
from the event!
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