Richard Perlmutter to Deliver Keynote Address at Smith School Commencement Ceremony, Dec. 21

The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business will hold its commencement ceremony at the Comcast Center on Sunday, December 21, at 1 p.m.

Richard Perlmutter will deliver the commencement address. Perlmutter is principal co-founder of Argo Investment Corp. His company developed Downtown Silver Spring, a project that brought new life to a dying urban center. Today Perlmutter’s company is working with the University of Maryland to create a retail, office and residential development in East Campus, which will transform and revitalize the community around campus. Both projects demonstrate Perlmutter’s interest in creating more livable, dynamic, sustainable communities.

Undergraduate student speaker Ilana Jolson is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Operation’s Management and is a member of both the College Park Scholars Program and the Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) Program. Part-time MBA student Alison Cherry, the online campaigns and marketing director for Beaconfire Consulting, which provides fundraising and marketing consulting to nonprofit organizations, will also deliver commencement remarks.

The Smith School commencement ceremony will celebrate the accomplishments of the 200 undergraduates, 120 MBA students, 48 students with a MS in business with a focus in accounting, and two doctoral students who will be receiving their Smith School degrees.

Graduates participating in the Smith School’s Ceremony will line up in the Small Gymnasium of the Comcast Center (Room 0601) and should arrive by 12:15 p.m. No tickets are required for guests at the Smith School Ceremony. Directions to Comcast Center are available athttp://umterps.cstv.com/travel/comcast-directions.html/. Parking information and maps are available at: http://www.commencement.umd.edu/activities/parking.cfm.

The University of Maryland will hold general commencement ceremonies on December 20 at 7 p.m. in the Comcast Center. Shuttle bus service will provide free transportation around campus throughout the day. For more information about the University’s main commencement ceremony, visit http://www.commencement.umd.edu/.