Dean Anand Steps Down at End of Term

The Smith School’s Dean G. “Anand” Anandalingam will step down at the end of his five-year term on June 30, 2013. He plans to pursue leadership in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship in partnership with institutions worldwide.

“The Smith School has accomplished some remarkable things during a very difficult time for the local, national and global economy,” says Dean Anand. “I’m proud of the progress we have made, and look forward to making further contributions to the school’s success.”

Dean Anand already had an impressive academic resume when he came to the Smith School in 2001 after 14 years with the University of Pennsylvania, with numerous publications, awards and honors. He became dean in 2008 with the goals of strengthening the school’s educational offerings, increasing students’ global competencies, and increasing the school’s intellectual reach.

During the course of his tenure, Dean Anand pursued initiatives to improve the student experience and better connect the school with outside audiences, including business leaders, policy makers and the media. The MBA program was redesigned to incorporate experiential learning through an integrated “Smith Experience.” The undergraduate curriculum was redesigned to significantly reduce class sizes in core courses and incorporate ethics and social responsibility throughout. The Smith School also launched several specialized Master of Science programs in Finance, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems and Marketing Analytics.

Global citizenship was an important initiative for the Smith School. More global learning opportunities were created. Global study trips and international consulting projects were structured to provide relevant and challenging educational experiences, and global issues were woven throughout the curriculum at all levels.

The Smith School also expanded its activities in innovation and entrepreneurship through the Dingman Center. The prestigious Cupid’s Cup Business Competition was expanded to attract national participation. New entrepreneurship activities were started in China in partnership with Peking University and in Israel in partnership with the Technion.

Dean Anand launched new research centers to better connect practitioners and policy makers with Smith thought leadership, including the Center for Social Value Creation, the Center for Financial Policy, the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change, and the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems. Faculty research continued to be ranked in the top 10. The Smith School was rated as a top-20 business school for media mentions.

Under his leadership and with the support of the Smith family, the Office of Career Services was expanded and renovated, and 16 new staff members were hired. The placement statistics for both undergraduate and MBA students reached new heights. The PhD program started to place students as faculty members in places like Harvard, UCLA, Rice, Peking University and ESADE.

Alumni engagement has also increased. The school launched four regional alumni clubs—in New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Beijing, China —to create more networking and engagement opportunities. Working closely with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Dean Anand restructured the Board of Advisors to incorporate more diversity of gender, ethnicity and experience. The school surpassed its goal for the University of Maryland’s Great Expectations capital campaign, raising more than $110 million to support scholarships, facilities and faculty recruitment.

These efforts have cemented the school’s place as a top-tier institution. Smith was ranked No. 24 in the 2012 BusinessWeek rankings—which also rated the school as No. 2 in student satisfaction, No. 2 in career services, and No. 2 in teaching.

A global search is underway to find the replacement for Dean Anand. See job posting.