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Social Responsibility@Smith
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| The next generation of business
leaders will need to use keen judgment to balance profits with
ethical decision-making. Recognizing this, the Robert H. Smith
School of Business interweaves the theme of social responsibility
through classes, seminars, and community initiatives. These
experiences help students determine how to choose the right path and
lead others in the right direction when faced with challenging
situations in their professional or personal lives. |
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Alfred and Joan Porro
spoke at the Smith School about the personal and professional
upheaval caused in their lives after they were sentenced to more
than 45 months in prison for white-collar crimes |
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Smith News
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Students Explore Ethics During “Profits and Principles”
Symposium |
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After spending half a semester sharpening their skills in areas like
accounting and economics, the first-year students were given
guidance on the importance of using their new-found knowledge in a
responsible way. A week-long series of seminars during the “Profits
and Principles” Symposium was designed to give students a foundation
in ethical business practices. Students heard guest speakers,
watched video clips, and engaged their peers in discussions on
social responsibility. Topics in the series included:
• Stakeholders and Corporate Social Responsibility
• Markets and Regulation
• Personal and Organizational Values
• Normative Foundations of Business
• Sustainability: Financial, Social, and Environmental
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Douglas Smith encourages
students to define their own set of values
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Guest speakers described their experiences with tough business
ethics decisions and offered advice on how students could evaluate
similar situations. Professors were also on hand to provide
expertise on international trade, intellectual property, and
antitrust policies.
Among the distinguished guest speakers were Carlos Alvarenga (Senior
Vice President, Morgan Franklin Consulting), Dawn Rittenhouse
(Director of Sustainable Development, DuPont), and Stephanie Cutler
(Social Research Analyst, Calvert Asset Management Corp.), and
Douglas Smith (author of On Value and Values: Thinking Differently About We in an Age of Me).
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Smith Students Go to Jail
 There has been
a long standing tradition for students of the Smith school –
going to jail. Every year, second-year students visit a
federal prison to learn about the repercussions of
committing white collar crimes. In addition to touring the
facility, students participate in panel discussions
facilitated by inmates who were former business executives.
One memorable inmate began his career by prosecuting drug
dealers as a member of a Pennsylvania district attorney’s
staff.
He later went into private practice and
started representing drug organizations. He was tempted into the
career path by the briefcases of money his clients would bring him.
Eventually, he went to trial along with nine of his clients and was
sent to jail with the criminals he had prosecuted.
The prison visit is only one element of the annual ethics module.
Students also spend a day role playing to practice their ethical
decision-making. Some of the issues they explore include
discrimination and whistle blowing. At the conclusion of the module,
Smith students have a better appreciation for the serious
consequences resulting from crossing ethical lines in the workplace.
Smith Community Unifies to
Help Katrina Victims
Students,
faculty, and staff at the Smith school reached into their
hearts and pockets to help those in need after Hurricane
Katrina hit the South coast. Two first-year students
organized a donation drive that raised $1,943 in about a
week. All proceeds were given to America’s Second Harvest, a
charity that strives to create a hunger-free America through
donations, public awareness, and policy efforts. Other Smith
students and staff contributed in a more personal way by
helping victims who had been relocated to the Washington DC
area.
The larger University community also helped by admitting
more than 100 residents of Maryland who were planning to
attend schools in the affected areas of Louisiana and
Mississippi.
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Course
Focus
BUSI 765 Business Ethics (3 credits)
This course explores applied topics relating to business ethics.
Students examine corporate social responsibility, the relationship
of law and ethics, and individual ethical decision-making.
Instructional methods include: (1) lectures, (2) student group
presentations, (3) role playing exercises, (4) videos, (5) guest
speakers, (6) a privacy exercise, (7) cases, and (8) a social
responsibility project.
BUSI 764 Business Law for Managers (3 credits)
An evaluation of United States legal institutions and
processes as well as substantive areas of the law that affect
business. Examination of tort and contract law, the legal forms of
business organization and legal liability and major regulatory laws
that affect business.
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Net Impact
Net Impact
is a national network of emerging business
leaders committed to using the power of business to create a better
world. Through its central office and 90 local chapters, Net Impact
offers a portfolio of programs to help members broaden their
business education, refine their leadership skills, and pursue their
professional goals, while building their network.
Net Impact at Smith serves as a hub for both academic and
career-oriented activities related to developing a broader
perspective of leadership and entrepreneurship. Through guest
lecturers, student discussions, interactive workshops, and community
volunteering, members explore new business models and methods to
exert a positive impact upon their environment. Net Impact at Smith
is dedicated to educating business leaders to value all their
stakeholders, providing academic and professional support, and
creating tangible positive change in the world.
Net Impact organized this year’s “Profits and Principles” Symposium
(see first article).
Ethics Committee
The Ethics Committee provides a forum for the discussion and
promotion of an ethical environment at the Robert H. Smith School of
Business. In doing so, the committee seeks to provide an ethical
foundation for professional life and provide assistance to students
in the resolution of ethical problems.
This semester, the committee planned the Business Ethics Lecture
Series at Smith:
• October 6: Renowned former municipal attorney Alfred Porro and his
law partner and wife, Joan
Porro, discussed both motivations and
ramifications of white collar crime. Alfred and Joan were
convicted
of mail fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering.
• October 26: Bruce Dubinsky, spoke about ethics in the business
community from his vantage point
as a forensic accountant who has
investigated numerous cases.
• November 9: Gordon Harvey, formerly Deputy Inspector General, U.S.
Department of Energy, will
discuss some of his personal and
professional experiences with ethical decision- making.
New Markets Growth Fund
The
New Markets Growth Fund
is an independent, $20 million venture capital fund investing in
early-stage deals in low-income areas in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The Dingman Center helped launch the fund, which is located at the
Smith School. Qualified MBA students serve as fund staff under the
direction of professional venture capital managers. The New Markets
Growth Fund is the first university-based fund to raise external
capital focused on both technology startups and community
development.
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Meet Our Students
Name: Bharath Chandar (MBA 2006)
Hometown: Potomac, MD
Undergrad Institution: New York University, New York
City, NY
Undergrad Major: Finance and International Business
Summer Internship: USDA, Office of the CFO; Worked on
implementation of department-wide performance scorecarding
system.
MBA Focus: Strategy and Finance
Smith Activities: President - Net Impact; GA Teaching
Assistant - Principles of Accounting |
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Why did you choose Smith?
I chose Smith for three main reasons. First, the university’s
focus on innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship was
extremely important as I believe those areas will be fundamental
drivers of progress in the future of business and society.
Second, Smith is a top tier program with some of the leading
research faculty in the country. Finally, I chose Smith for the
community. It’s a smaller program, and knowing this community
would be my family for the next two years and beyond, it was
important for me to feel comfortable - and I do.
What have been your best experiences so far?
Certainly, the community of students and faculty has been
everything I hoped it would be, which represents the most
lasting impression I will keep with me. My experience with the
Net Impact club is a close second. It has really become a second
job for me in school and I love it. The mission, the challenge,
the people, and access to the national Net Impact network have
been great.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
Immediately after graduation, I hope to secure a position in
consulting or corporate management for the variety of
experience. In the long-term, I would like to get into social
entrepreneurship and social venture capital, helping people
start businesses and promote social welfare.
Any advice for prospective students?
Business school is your chance to really stretch and find
yourself, professionally, educationally, and socially and set
the foundation for your career and life going forward. If you
have initiative, the Smith school, more than most, will really
let you run with it. Finally, let’s be clear, if you plan to
work for the next thirty years or so, work will be a huge part
of your life. The right business school will help you make sure
you enjoy it.
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Name: Catherine Sheehy (MBA 2006)
Hometown: Wappingers Falls, NY
Undergrad Institution: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame,
IN
Undergrad Major: Government and Gender Studies
Summer Internship: Stratecomm, LLC, a web design and
development firm, where I was project manager of Stratecomm
initiative, Veggilicious, a for-profit, online source for
health-conscious dining in the DC-metro area.
MBA focus: Marketing and Organizational Management
Smith Activities: President - Smith Pride Alliance; VP Career
Development - Net Impact; VP Marketing - Professional Communications
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Why did you choose Smith?
I decided to get an MBA because I did not have a strong background
in the "hard skills," and Smith's academics in this area are among
the best in the DC-Metro area. Smith's faculty rankings were also
important to my decision. Since I live in Maryland, it is also the
best value for my money when compared to many of the other schools
in the area. Finally, and most importantly, I realized that I
probably would learn as much or more from my fellow students as I
would from my coursework. Because the Smith community is both
collaborative and diverse -- and since diversity in an academic
program, like in a workplace, improves creativity and innovation --
I realized I would learn a great deal here.
What have been your best experiences so far?
Getting to know the other students and professors. I have been
impressed with the combination of ambition, cooperation, and real
concern I have found here.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
I intend to continue to promote corporate responsibility, either as
a consultant or in a company. That, and my partner and I intend to
develop an educational project that will help young people become
conscientious consumers and responsible business leaders.
Any advice for prospective students?
The Smith School is an incredibly innovative environment, and there
are ample opportunities to develop your leadership skills here. For
instance, one of the characteristics of the Smith School that I most
appreciate is that if you have an idea about how to enhance the
program and can make a solid business case for it, the school will
likely give you a chance to create something new. This is a great
privilege and responsibility that Smith students take seriously.
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Name: Michael Biggica (MBA 2005)
Hometown: Pleasantville, NY
Undergrad Institution: State University at Albany, NY
Undergrad Major: Finance
Summer Internship: The Washington Post – as a Summer
Associate, I developed a sensitivity model to determine the impact
of advertising rate increases in conjunction with circulation
declines.
Current Position: vFinance Investments, Inc, Institutional
Sales Associate, New York City
MBA Focus: Finance/Entrepreneurship
Smith Activities: Treasurer, Finance Association
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What are you doing in your current position?
I am in institutional sales and frequently meet with hedge fund
Portfolio Managers in the small/microcap space to assist them
with capital raising efforts, compliance, incubation, product
enhancement, liquidity, and research.
How did the faculty, staff, or students at Smith help you
find your current position?
Everyone at Smith was very supportive in my job hunt. Even the
students who majored in different areas assisted in some form.
As for faculty, I had the opportunity to learn about real world
portfolio analysis through Professor Wermer’s Portfolio
Management class and the consulting project, which both not only
helped in my understanding of the material but also served as
good interview discussion. Beyond that, some of the same people
I read about in case studies and performed analysis for in the
consulting project have become business clients of mine!
Any advice for prospective students?
Yes, put in the initial time and effort to manage your
coursework and job/intern search. Develop a core group of
colleagues to collaborate on these two critical parts.
Don’t become a Wizards fan, it’s a lost cause. Get out and enjoy
the DC area! I really miss it.
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Admission
Tips
Helpful Hints for Writing Your Application Essays
So you have narrowed down your choice of MBA programs and you are
ready to begin the actual application process! After the GMAT, you
will probably spend the most amount of time preparing your
application essays, and rightly so!
The essays provide a great opportunity for you to share with the
admissions committee who you are, your goals, your personality, and
your interests – both professional and personal. Realize that this
is one of the few areas of the application where you showcase to the
committee the ways you will be an asset to the program. Here are
some ideas to keep in mind when composing your MBA application
essays:
• After writing your essays, go back and reread the question. It is
very easy to be led astray on a tangent,
especially when you are writing about yourself (everyone’s favorite
topic!). Did you actually address the
questions in each essay?
• Allow the admissions committee to become acquainted with you
through your essays. We want to
know you are professional, but we also want to know you better as a
person. Don’t be afraid to share
a relevant story about yourself. Have you learned the importance of
teamwork through an interesting
situation? Did someone mentor you in fine-tuning your career goals? Tell
us about these
experiences!
• Don’t overlook simple mistakes. Misspelled words, incomplete
sentences, and poor grammar will
cast a negative light on any essay, no matter how brilliant the content.
Have friends and family read
through the essays – the more eyes to review your writing, the
better.
• Don’t cut and paste your essays from other applications. Each
year, this is a downfall of many
students who apply to multiple schools and don’t bother to tailor their
essay to each school. Do not
submit an application essay to school #1 stating how much you admire
school #2. (It happens more
often than you think.)
Now get out that dictionary and good luck with your essays!
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IF YOU WERE HERE YOU
COULD...
On Campus
Attend
Take Five: Black Diamond, Satchel Paige
and the Negro Leagues. This
marriage of sports history and music features the lives and
challenges of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson as they
played baseball in the Negro Leagues.
Cheer on the
Terrapin athletes! The
men´s Basketball team will host St. Francis Xavier on Nov 11
(exhibition play), the Men’s and Women’s soccer teams will head to
the ACC tournament, and the MBA Sport and Social club has teams
playing in intramural soccer and football.
Attend a
Beyond the Classroom event
- a great way to learn first hand about the benefits of being
in the Smith community and a part of the Smith network:
In and Around Washington DC
Check out the activities calendar for
Color me
Mine (paint your own pottery).
Smith Alumnae Deidre Lee has lots of great activities, new colors,
and new pottery pieces! The holidays are coming...
Check out a show at DC´s
9:30 Club
(ranked top acoustics in the metro area)! Upcoming events include
concerts by Brian Setzer, Cyndi Lauper, Medeski Martin & Wood and
Soul Live.
Join the
National Museum of Women in the Arts
as they launch their women artists worldwide series with Monica
Castillo: The Painter and the Body. Castillo is a Mexican artist
recognized as one of Mexico’s most important contemporary artists.
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To request admission materials, please register here.
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Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
Van Munching Hall
College Park, MD 20742
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu
mba_info@rhsmith.umd.edu
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