Smith News, Research and Insights

People

Alumni

Vet Ventures Into Finance

Smith MBA students and military veterans German Salazar, MBA ’25, and Charles Castelly, MBA ’26, leveraged the University System of Maryland’s Venture Fellowship to gain hands-on VC experience. Their shared journey highlights Smith’s strong veteran community and career-building opportunities in venture capital.

Alumni

Smith Education Provides Foundation for Alumnus to Pursue a Career in Investment Banking

Alan Grantham ’05, managing director and group head of debt capital markets at Synovus Bank, shares his journey from Smith to investment banking. He credits Smith’s curriculum, networking, and career services for his success and encourages students to stay persistent.

Student

Building a Legacy of Service

After 20 years in the U.S. Army, Brendan Dunne, DBA ’26, is now co-founder of Lovelace AI and a member of the Smith School’s DBA program. Committed to service, he mentors future leaders while advancing national security innovation and supporting veterans’ causes.

News

Water Sustainability Initiative Underway from Smith’s CSVC, AquaKraft

The Smith School’s Center for Social Value Creation and AquaKraft Ventures launch Water Parliament, a global think tank advancing water sustainability. Led by Nima Farshchi, it promotes governance, innovation, and investment, including AQOIN, the first water-backed digital asset.

Community

Building Financial Literacy, One Terp at a Time

The University of Maryland’s new Financial Wellness Center empowers students with financial literacy through peer mentoring, classes, and events. Led by the Smith School, it centralizes resources on budgeting, investing, and financial planning, preparing students for real-world financial decisions with confidence.

Suzanne Hillman Receives Inaugural Smith School Award for Community Service

The University of Maryland’s Smith School honored Suzanne Hillman with its inaugural community service award at the 2024 Accounting Graduation Dinner. A business leader and philanthropist, Hillman’s legacy of leadership, education, and economic impact inspired the award, now an annual tradition.

Smith Brain Trust

Faculty Insights On Latest News

Marketing

Small Businesses Take Big Hit from Apple’s Privacy Regulation

Smith marketing professor Daniel McCarthy's research found that Apple's 2021 App Tracking Transparency (ATT) significantly impacted small direct-to-consumer businesses. ATT caused a 37% drop in ad click-through rates and up to a 60% revenue decline for smaller firms reliant on Facebook ads.

Decision, Operations and Information Technologies, Finance, Marketing

Smith Experts Explain Google Antitrust Implications

Google faces major antitrust cases for monopolizing digital advertising and search. Research Professor Kislaya Prasad suggests that ending exclusive agreements could increase competition, while Associate Professor Bobby Zhou emphasizes breaking up business units like Google’s search could benefit competitors, advertisers, and consumers.

Marketing

Smith Experts Discuss how Apple’s AI-enhanced iPhones will Affect Users, Market Position

Smith School marketing professor P.K. Kannan says Apple's iPhone 16, powered by “Apple Intelligence,” marks a significant upgrade, particularly in privacy-focused AI and computational photography, aiding both user experience and market competitiveness.

Research

How Cities Can Attract Remote Workers and Keep Them

When the Covid pandemic made the already growing trend of remote work ubiquitous five years ago, it also opened possibilities for where people could decide to live.

Decision, Operations and Information Technologies

Flipping the Deepfake Narrative

Professors Siva Viswanathan, Balaji Padmanabhan, and PhD student Yizhi Liu at UMD’s Smith School developed a patent-pending deepfake method to detect and mitigate bias in decision-making. Their study shows how AI-generated images can improve fairness in hiring, healthcare, and criminal justice.

Marketing

How We React When Apps Crash

App crashes shorten user sessions and reduce content consumption, says Smith’s Michel Wedel. While a single crash boosts engagement, frequent failures can drive users away. Developers should release updates cautiously, target resilient users, and take responsibility to maintain trust.