Smith Family Foundation Gift Funds Faculty and Student Initiatives

The legacy of Robert H. Smith ’50 continues to make an impact as a new gift made on behalf of Smith’s son, David Bruce Smith, from the family’s foundation provides support for the Smith School in new ways.

The $10 million gift includes support for the Robert H. Smith School of Business, as well as the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the latter named for David’s mother. The funds are split evenly between the two areas at the University of Maryland.

At the Smith School, the gift will establish the Robert H. Smith Do Good Endowed Professorship in Business Leadership, Technology and Societal Impact, and the Robert H. Smith Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Business and Innovation, in addition to other support for the business school.

The Do Good endowed professorship will be given to a member of Smith’s faculty who has made remarkable contributions to the scholarship and teaching at the intersection of business and societal impact. The faculty member will also work to continue to elevate the Smith School’s research profile, experiential learning initiatives and interdisciplinary collaborations that prepare students to lead with purpose in an AI-driven world.

The Endowed Faculty Fellowship in business and innovation will support an emerging faculty star impacting the Smith School in its mission of research and teaching.

“This gift will help launch and expand innovative Fellows programs for undergraduate students in areas such as space commerce and private credit markets, while also supporting co-curricular activities that will create tremendous value for our students and better prepare them for success," said Joseph P. Bailey, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs.

“We are deeply grateful for the Smith Family Foundation’s generous investment in teaching innovation,” said Rosellina Ferraro, Associate Dean of MBA Programs. Ferraro added the gift will help to support the integration of AI across the MBA curriculum. “As technology continues to transform every industry, it is essential that we prepare MBA students to understand emerging tools, like artificial intelligence, and to apply them thoughtfully and ethically.”

In a story published by Maryland Today, Dean Prabhudev Konana also expressed his gratitude to David and the foundation for the continued investment in the school. “This generous gift enables us to expand an innovative portfolio of programs that serve thousands of students, shape future generations of leaders and support impactful research. This commitment not only sustains a tradition of excellence but also ensures the Smith School remains at the forefront of academic research and business education amid significant uncertainty driven by intelligent machines and global realignment.”