The High Five: December 2023

As we close out 2023, we are feeling truly grateful here at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. We’re grateful to celebrate the 25th anniversary of receiving the gift that named the school and look forward to remimaging learning for the next 25 years. We’re grateful to receive an incredibly generous $5 million gift from alumnus Long Jiang, PhD ’06, and his wife, Grace, to support faculty research and doctoral students. Grateful for our brilliant faculty who make this institution what it is. They are continuously called on to provide their expertise to lawmakers and industry, and they are recognized by top scholarly organizations for their contributions to research and practice. We are also grateful for the amazing students and alumni that create this community. 
We’re looking forward to 2024 being another wonderful year and I hope you are too.
Happy holidays, 
Prabhudev C. Konana
Dean, Robert H. Smith School of Business

1. Alumnus Invests $5M in Faculty, PhD Students
Goertek CEO and Smith School alumnus Long Jiang, PhD ’06, is giving $5 million to support faculty research and doctoral students. It is the largest gift ever made to the school’s doctoral program. The gift will establish the Long and Grace Jiang Endowed Chair in Business and the Long and Grace Jiang Endowed Graduate Fellowship, both named for him and his wife, and will provide support for faculty and graduate students. The fellowship will support up to 10 students per year. Read more. 

2. Michael Faulkender Testifies about Federal Debt on Capitol Hill
Finance professor and former U.S. Treasury official Michael Faulkender testified before a House Ways and Means subcommittee on Dec. 6 on how much federal debt costs taxpayers. He is one of many Smith faculty members who actively engage in thought leadership that impacts society while enhancing classroom learning. Other faculty recently recognized for their leadership and contributions include marketing professor Rebecca Ratner, who was elected president of the Association for Consumer Research; Anil K. Gupta, who received the 2023 CK Prahalad Award for scholarly impact on practice from the Strategic Management Society; and Albert “Pete” Kyle, who won the prestigious Wharton-Jacobs Levy Prize from the Wharton School for his groundbreaking market microstructure research. Read more about Faulkender’s House testimony.

3. Smith Marks 25th Anniversary with Grand Gala
More than 300 alumni and friends gathered for the Smith School's Silver Jubilee Grand Gala on Oct. 27, to celebrate the legacy of benefactor Robert H. Smith ’50 and mark the 25th anniversary of his naming gift. At the event, the Smith School introduced a new $50 million fundraising campaign to support key initiatives, and announced Grace and Long Jiang’s $5 million gift to kick off the campaign. Read more. 

4. New AI Initiative for Capital Market Research Launches
The Smith School introduced an AI initiative for capital market research, thanks to a new investment from accounting firm GRF CPAs & Advisors, spearheaded by president, managing partner and Smith graduate Jacqueline A. Cardello ’93, CPA. The gift will help the school establish a free video library to increase AI literacy and produce a new AI textbook for capital markets. It’s part of Smith’s push “to prepare students to excel in both AI and capital markets, making them valuable prospects for business recruiters,” says Sean Cao, associate professor and director of the initiative. He says the GRF support will fund cutting-edge research and educational materials to help Smith secure more funding from accounting and finance firms. Read more. 

5. UMD Ranks No. 1 for Entrepreneurship in Mid-Atlantic, No. 5 Nationwide
The University of Maryland placed No. 5 in the nation for cultivating student entrepreneurialism, according to the latest rankings from The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. UMD is No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic and No. 4 among public universities in the 2024 edition of the annual list of undergraduate entrepreneurship programs. It’s Maryland’s ninth straight year in the top 10. The university also jumped to No. 13 for graduate entrepreneurship education. Read more.