Maryland Smith Bids Farewell to President Loh

When appointed as the University of Maryland president in 2010, Wallace Loh inspired the greater Maryland community with his challenge to “Lead Fearlessly.” Now, 10 years later, Loh is stepping down as president and entrusting future generations of Terps to continue the work he began.

“President Loh’s leadership and guidance over the last decade has aided the Robert H. Smith School of Business in its mission to be a leader in transformational learning and positively influence the lives of its students,” says Ritu Agarwal, Maryland Smith’s interim dean and director of the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS). “We are grateful for his commitment and will honor his efforts by capitalizing on the current foundation to lead Maryland Smith into the future. His focus on innovation and entrepreneurship continues to inspire the Smith School.”

Loh’s presence on campus and his pride for Maryland, as shown by his penchant for flag bow ties like those from Maryland Smith alum Esther Oh, ’16, will be missed. But between the Greater College Park Initiative and rigorous dedication to increasing academic standards, Loh’s impact on the University of Maryland will be felt for generations to come, Agarwal says.

A look back at some of the changes at Maryland Smith during Loh’s leadership.

2010

• Maryland Smith partners with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are teaming up for the Global Challenge, a first-of-its-kind competition that challenges teams of MBA and other graduate students to develop business solutions that support international development.
• The Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change is launched to promote research and programs that foster effective leadership, build organizational capabilities for innovation and change, and promote social stewardship in organizations.
• The BB&T Foundation gives $1.5 million to support to business ethics and leadership programs at Smith. Awarded over a 10-year period, the gift funds the new program and the BB&T Colloquium on Capitalism, Ethics and Leadership lecture series.
• The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship celebrates its 25th anniversary with a visit from benefactor Michael Dingman, international investor, businessman and philanthropist.
• Maryland Smith awarded a $1.5 million four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to operate its Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

2011

• Smith partners with the Gettysburg Foundation to develop customized leadership programs that integrate lessons from the historic Civil War battle.

2012

• Smith is one of five business schools selected by The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to participate in a groundbreaking pilot program aimed at enhancing the strategic communication and reputation management education provided to the nation’s MBA candidates.

2013

• The Dingman Center’s Cupid’s Cup Business Competition goes national for the first time.
• Maryland Smith’s first online degree program, the online MBA, is launched.
• Maryland Smith is ranked No. 2 in Financial Times’ 2018 ranking of Master of Finance programs in the United States.
• The University of Maryland announces the launch of the Center for the Study of Business Ethics, Regulation, and Crime (C-BERC), a joint effort of the university's Robert H. School of Business and Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. It is the first venture of its kind to formally link business with criminology in an academic environment.

2014

• Maryland Smith offers the region’s first blended program for working professionals through a part-time MBA program at the Washington, D.C., campus.
• A $5 million gift from the Snider Foundation, led by alumnus Ed Snider, helps establish the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets.

2015

• The Snider Enterprise & Leadership Fellows (SELF), as well as the Leadership, Education, and Development (LEAD) program, help 90 high school students from underrepresented groups study entrepreneurship and leadership over the summer.
• Maryland Smith receives a $10 million gift from the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation to support MBA scholarships, undergraduate leadership programs, facility enhancements and fund the Center for Social Value Creation.

2016

• Maryland Smith’s Supply Chain Management Center collaborates with the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) on a first-of-its-kind risk assessment project.

2017

• Maryland Smith launches the Office of Diversity Initiatives to provide advising, programming, coaching and services for students, faculty and staff to ensure inclusion for underrepresented minorities, women, active military and veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, international populations, and people with disabilities.
• The first STEM-certified Master of Quantitative Finance program in the Washington, D.C., region is established.
• Robert G. Hisaoka, ’79, provides a three-year gift to the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship to expand the annual Pitch Dingman Competition and create the Robert G. Hisaoka Speaker Series that brings business leaders and startup founders to campus.

2018

• Center for Technology, Analytics and Data Science established, including the Health Insights Artificial Intelligence Lab.
• CIBER grant renewed.

2019

• The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine place Maryland Smith at No. 7 for undergraduate entrepreneurship and No. 3 among public schools in “Top 50 Best Undergrad Programs for Entrepreneurs in 2020” rankings.
• An 8,000-square-foot space is opened in Crystal City, Virginia to promote innovation and collaboration among UMD students and faculty, Crystal City residents and businesses, and alumni in anticipation of Amazon’s HQ2.