Dean Anand Gives Annual State of Smith Address

At the third annual State of Smith address on February 4, 2011, G. “Anand” Anandalingam, dean of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, celebrated some of the school’s major accomplishments of the preceding year and looked forward to some of the challenges of the coming year.

“We really need to celebrate each other, because we cannot build a great enterprise without the contribution of each of you,” said Dean Anand.

The dean mentioned the school’s recent Financial Times ranking – #18 in the U.S. and #40 in the world—to demonstrate forward movement in the school’s brand recognition and reputation. The Smith School is ranked #4 among business schools at public universities. The size of our full-time MBA program has gone up while maintaining high GMAT scores, the dean reported.

Other accomplishments reflected progress toward the school’s greater strategic goals and educational mission, such as the revisions to the undergraduate and MBA curricula. Undergraduates will be given more opportunities for experiential learning outside the classroom, and all students will be encouraged to pursue a global experience. To make that possible, the Smith School has doubled the number of global study courses offered.

The MBA curriculum changes focused on experiential learning in the areas of global business, entrepreneurship and social value creation, key to helping students practice what they are learning in the classroom in a business environment. “Our MBA and undergraduate curricula changes have exceeded my expectations, thanks to dedicated Smith faculty members,” said Dean Anand.

The school also launched two successful new MS programs this past year, with two additional MS programs set to launch in fall 2011.

Increased engagement with the outside world came through successful programs like CEO@Smith and the ThoughtLeadership@Smith speaker series, and the growth of executive education programs.

The Smith School raised more than $30M in private gifts this year. Alumni relations and development programs are continuing to grow, said Dean Anand, who mentioned the launch of the SmithNY alumni chapter as a significant step forward in the way the school engages with alumni.

The dean was visibly pleased to present another piece of good news for faculty and staff: no new budget cuts or furloughs were expected for the upcoming fiscal year.

Challenges for the coming year included increasing diversity throughout the school, and increasing the school’s reputation and visibility through branding communications, increased faculty interaction with media and the public, and a concerted effort to “speak up for Smith” by all members of the wider Smith community. The dean urged all faculty, staff and students to recognize their vested interest in the school’s success, and to be vocal cheerleaders and champions for the school’s students and programs.

“You are in the one place where you can have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people,” Dean Anand said. “Education is a fantastic business.”