Univ. of Maryland’s Smith School of Business and Gettysburg Foundation Take Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom

College Park, Md. – January 5, 2011 – The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has partnered with the Gettysburg Foundation to develop customized leadership programs that integrate lessons from the historic Civil War battle. The intensely experiential programs will push participants to think differently about individual and organizational challenges through engagement in action-oriented sessions, both on the renowned Pennsylvania battlefield and in the classroom.

“As one of the most well-documented and studied battles in American history, the Battle of Gettysburg offers a rich set of characters, personalities, and examples of leadership decision-making that resonate in many organizations even today,” said Greg Hanifee, executive director of the Office of Executive Programs at the Smith School. “The programmatic ties between leadership education and history in the Gettysburg programs are truly unique, but our process of customizing content around each client’s culture, goals, and needs is the same successful model we use in all of our custom executive education programs.”

Program designs range from two days to one week and are tailored to meet a specific organization’s needs and talent level. The interactive learning experience provides participants with the opportunity to build leadership skills and develop stronger teams. Specific learning objectives may include leadership, teamwork, conflict management, communication, strategy and innovation.

The program incorporates a multi-sensory experience including battlefield tours, lectures, discussion sessions, videos, role-playing, and team exercises, all led by Smith’s world-leading faculty and a professional guide and executive trainer from the Gettysburg Foundation.

"The Gettysburg Foundation, as a partner of the National Park Service, is committed to education as part of its important mission," said Foundation Chair Robert A. Kinsley. "Robert H. Smith was a generous supporter of ours and we’re so pleased to partner with the business school that bears his name. Our cooperation with the Smith School represents another important way that we can reach current and future leaders, helping people understand how much can be learned from Gettysburg's always-resounding lessons of courage and honor."

The Smith School is widely recognized as a world-leading source of business management education and research, consistently ranking among the world’s best for faculty research. It was recently ranked No. 15 in the United States for its executive MBA program and No. 1 in corporate strategy by the Financial Times.

More information about the Gettysburg program is available at www.rhsmith.umd.edu/Gettysburg. 

About the Gettysburg Foundation
The Gettysburg Foundation is a private, nonprofit educational organization working in partnership with the National Park Service to enhance the preservation and understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg. The Foundation raised funds for and now operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, which opened in April 2008. In addition to operating the Museum and Visitor Center, the Foundation has a broad preservation mission that includes land, monument and artifact preservation and battlefield rehabilitation—all in support of the National Park Service’s goals at Gettysburg. For information about the Foundation, about visiting Gettysburg, or how you can become a part of the history of Gettysburg through your contribution, visit www.gettysburgfoundation.org or call 877-874-2478 or the administrative offices at 717-338-1243.