Social Responsibility at Smith

Buzzwords like “corporate social responsibility” and “going green” were infants when Robert H. Smith School of Business faculty, students and staff first began encouraging social responsibility in the surrounding community. From the administration and staff to its students, Smith is taking the lead to educate business leaders and the community on what it means to be socially responsible.

The University System of Maryland is kicking into high gear, unveiling its state of the art Camille Kendall Academic Center at the Universities at Shady Grove in November 2007. The 192,000-square-foot Kendall Center received LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold-level certification, incorporating roof gardens, recycled building materials, and sustainable materials such as wheat board, cork walls, bamboo flooring and banana fiber tables. The Smith School holds undergraduate and graduate business courses at the Shady Grove campus.

“The opening of the Camille Kendall Academic Center is a true milestone for the university system on two fronts,” said William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM). “Through its green design, it marks the system’s commitment to sustainable practices that help address the challenges of global climate change. It also testifies to the success of our regional higher education center concept that is bringing programs from our various universities to locations where they are critically needed and better serve our citizens.”

The Smith School also offers several socially responsible courses, including undergraduate and graduate ethics classes. Full-time MBA students enrolled in “Culture, Ethics, and Communication” receive a firsthand look at what drives ethical behavior through role-playing activities and interactive discussions. Spring 2008’s Ethics Variety Show showcased student groups’ original plays exploring ethical issues.

Student-run organizations like the undergraduate Society for Green Businesses and MBA-run Net Impact emphasize student awareness and involvement in environmentally and socially aware entrepreneurship and business practices.

“Before I came to Smith, I worked in the non-profit world where there was a lot of passion, but not a lot of business expertise,” says Chan, a first-year MBA student and Net Impact member who has been able to participate in a number of activities that connect her with similarly minded community members. “It’s extremely motivating to me to work with others who have a passion for improving social outcomes and our ecological condition who are innovators and can use analytical skills.”

Through Net Impact, MBA students have combined forces with “Engineers without Borders” and worked in Africa, launched and spearheaded their own socially responsible companies and served as non-profit board members and consultants. The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship also invests in socially responsible student-proposed businesses, using its latest gift of $175,000 from former HP CEO Carly Fiorina and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank. A $50,000 portion of the fund is earmarked for investment in socially responsible businesses.

“The business landscape is changing – business leaders can’t just think about their bottom lines, they have to think about the impact their companies are having on society, the environment and the world,” Fiorina said in an October 2007 press release. “Corporate social responsibility is the future of business and it’s important that students and entrepreneurs adopt these practices early. I’m pleased to see the Smith School is focused on fostering these values.”