The First Smith IBM Day Exposes Students to Consulting, Branding and Opportunity

The inaugural IBM Day at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business was filled with activity, including class takeovers, coffee chats, and IBM representatives answering students’ questions about careers and job opportunities at the Employer of the Day table in Van Munching Hall.

Associate Area Chair of Marketing and Clinical Professor Mary Beth Furst led the effort to have Smith host the Nov. 12 event, working with alumna and IBM Brand Manager Samaura Steele ’24 and the school’s Offices of Experiential Learning (OEL) and Career Services (OCS). “IBM has been a wonderful partner to the Smith School with internships and experiential learning opportunities,” says Furst. “The martech (marketing technology) focus is terrific for our undergraduates and master’s students.” Steele notes that IBM’s relationship with Smith has an overarching goal: closing the gap between the martech industry and academia.

She and other alumni employed at IBM took over several classes. Aliyah Awan, INFO ’24, is a federal consultant at the company and took over one of the Consumer Analysis classes taught by Assistant Marketing Professor Ali Faraji-Rad. She talked about IBM’s watsonx, a portfolio of artificial intelligence products that accelerates the impact of generative AI in workflow to increase productivity. It’s been used to advance the work of IBM’s many clients, including Ferrari. Awan led the students through an activity centered around watsonx Orchestrate. They looked at scenarios that included a college student purchasing a laptop and mapped out how AI could add the most value by assisting in that consumer journey.

Madeline Meiner ’26, who’s double-majoring in marketing and government and politics, says, “As a senior, preparing for post-grad and starting to apply for jobs, it was really cool to have someone from IBM come in and talk to us. It was great to learn more about what Aliyah does, what the company does, and learn more about AI and how it can impact all areas of work.”

An Interdisciplinary Business Honors class taught by OEL Assistant Dean and Clinical Professor of Management & Organization, Nicole Coomber, was taken over by Phillip Reamer, MBA ’23. The senior consultant in enterprise strategy talked about what working in IBM Consulting looks like and led the students through two activities based on a case interview – an audition during a consulting job interview, which tests the candidate’s problem-solving and communication skills.

The students handled the activity well and enjoyed learning about consulting from an alumnus who oversees huge projects as part of his role at IBM. Finance major, Srujen Mandavilli, Class of ’28, says he really liked hearing from Reamer. “That niche insight he brings regarding the consulting industry is valuable to me. I usually hear about the commercial side, investment banking, and all that.”

In their interactions with students, the representatives from IBM emphasized their efforts to empower and enable students in AI learning at no cost using the IBM SkillsBuild platform. It’s made possible through the company’s partnership with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Educational Foundation (AEF).

Exposing students to legendary companies and all sectors of business in unique and engaging ways is what Smith Takeover Days are all about. “IBM Day is exactly the kind of hands-on exposure we want our students to have,” says Nima Farshchi, OEL Executive Director and management & organization lecturer. “When industry experts walk into the classroom and show what the work actually looks like, it makes the career path real. It helps students see how their coursework connects to the problems companies are solving every day.” OCS Assistant Director of Employer Relations Luke Dieguez emphasizes the value of that experience for the students as well. “Students are provided with multiple touchpoints to learn about how our alumni went from being full-time students to full-time employees,” he says. “They are also finding out how what they’re learning in class is preparing them for these careers.”