Congratulations Smith School Class of 2011!
Ernst & Young CEO Gives Commencement Keynote

The Comcast Center was full of good cheer as the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business celebrated the commencement of approximately 780 undergrads, 360 MBAs, 19 EMBAs, and seven doctoral students on May 20, 2011.

James S. Turley, Chairman & CEO of Ernst & Young, gave the keynote address. Turley helped to commemorate the 30-year relationship that Ernst & Young has with the Smith School by attending a special breakfast with newly hired Smith School graduates (more than 70 are joining Ernst & Young this year) and their families.

During his commencement speech, Turley told students, “The spotlight is always going to be on you… make your loved ones proud.” He also talked about the importance of timing and how to win in the current working environment.

Turley is chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young, a leading global professional services organization providing assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. With approximately 141,000 people in 140 countries, Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services organizations in the world.

The undergraduate student speaker was Geoffrey Treat and the MBA student speaker was Seema Setia. The National Anthem was performed by Laura Palantone. Treat graduated with a double-major in finance and accounting and was a member of the school’s Senbet Fund. MBA grad Setia urged students to “Live out loud… Let us believe in the pursuit of passion.”

The following students received their doctoral degree: Gisela Maria Bardossy, Byungchae Jin, Minwen Li, Natalia Lorinkova, Tanakorn Makaew, Selahattin Tugkan Tuzun, Yue Xiao, and Inbal Yahav.

Alissa Arford - Office of Marketing Communications