Smith Day

Your Smith. My Smith. Our Smith.

Smith Day is an annual tradition celebrating the strong Smith community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Join the Smith Community of alumni, students, staff, and faculty on Thursday, October 26, for Smith Day 2023. This annual celebration is a time to build upon your existing relationships with Smith Terps as well as a time to reconnect with the Smith community.

Whether you took classes at College Park, at a regional campus, or online, take a minute to share your Smith Terp pride by:

  • Promoting Smith Day to classmates and colleagues on campus and encouraging them to save the date (October 26)
  • Sharing your favorite Smith memory or event with #MarylandSmithDay
  • Planning and/or attending a meet-up or a regional alumni gathering
  • Sending a thank you note on Smith Day to a former faculty or staff member or to a fellow student or alumnus/a, or
  • Investing in a Smith School initiative

Whichever way you decide to participate, remember to use #MarylandSmithDay and tag one of the Smith Alumni Relations accounts (@smithalumni). Check out the sections below for additional details about this year’s celebration.

Get Involved with Smith Day

If you are a proud Smith Terp and looking for quick highlights on how to support Smith Day, check out the list below.

  • Volunteer for a Smith Day Spotlight – Tell us why you are Smith Proud and you will be featured in the Smith Day social media campaign
  • Sign up to be a Smith Day Ambassador and help spread the word about Smith Day. The role is simple, flexible, and fun, and not location-bound (regional and online options available). See the Smith Day info sheet for additional details.
  • Help plan a Regional Event or Workplace Gathering (alumni only) – Work with the Alumni Relations team to plan a Smith Day celebration in your area on October 26. See the Smith Day info sheet for additional details
  • Meet up with fellow Smith Terps – Meet-ups are the quickest way to celebrate Smith Day. Call a Smith Terp and grab a coffee, have lunch, take a walk, or simply have a Zoom meeting with your closest Smith Terps and celebrate the day. If you’re looking for others to meet up with, let us know and we’ll see if we can help you find others in your area.

In all that you do in preparation for Smith Day, make sure you share online how you are celebrating by using #MarylandSmithDay.

Still have questions about Smith Day or about options for getting involved? Contact Mark Forrest at maf31@umd.edu.

Smith Day Ambassadors

Each year, we need the assistance of Smith members to help us reach the entire Smith community! Smith Day ambassadors play a significant role in ensuring alumni, students, faculty, and staff from across the globe are able to participate in Smith Day. The ambassadors can get involved in one or more of the following four ways:

  1. Online: Online ambassadors can help promote and share the event, participate in polls, and share their favorite Smith memories, faculty/staff, photos, etc. Using your personal social media account(s), ambassadors encourage conversations and interactions with members of the Smith community using the hashtag #MarylandSmithDay.
  2. On-campus: Campus ambassadors are perfect for Smith faculty, staff and students who will be on the various Smith campuses on Smith Day. These ambassadors should be available to participate in some of the activities. Campus ambassadors can also support the day by volunteering a block of time (1-3 hours) to assist with activities.
  3. In your town (alumni only): Are you interested in hosting an alumni activity in your region to celebrate Smith Day? We are looking for alumni interested in serving as volunteers to help organize an activity on the evening of Smith Day in regions with pockets of alumni.
  4. At your employer (alumni only): Are you working with other Smith alumni? If so, host an informal workplace gathering of Smith alumni at your company.

For a full description and list of responsibilities, please view the Smith Day info sheet.

In all that you do in preparation for Smith Day, be sure to join the conversation online by using #MarylandSmithDay.

Interested in signing up to be a Smith Day ambassador? Complete the Smith Day Ambassador sign-up form. For additional information, contact Mark Forrest at maf31@umd.edu.

Smith Day Meet-Ups

Don’t have time for a large event? Consider scheduling a meet-up. Smith Day meet-ups are:

  • Smaller, less formal gatherings of two or more Smith constituents (student, alumni, faculty, or staff)
  • Can be open to other Smith community members joining you to create clusters of Smith alumni celebrating across the world

Examples include having your morning/afternoon coffee or lunch with a classmate, colleague, favorite professor, or a fellow Smith graduate; taking a walk with a fellow Smith Terp, gathering for happy hour after work, or scheduling a virtual Zoom hour with your closest Smith Terps.

If you would like to organize a meet-up, here’s what you need to do:

  • Find a location, schedule the time (on October 26), and alert your favorite Smith Terps of where to meet up.
  • Once together, take a photo and share it on social media with #MarylandSmithDay (or send it to smithalumni@umd.edu).
  • If you are open to other Smith Terps joining you, send an email with the details to smithalumni@umd.edu so it can be included for promotion.

It’s that simple! We look forward to seeing all the photos of the Smith community meet-ups on Smith Day. If you have any questions, contact Mark Forrest at maf31@umd.edu.

Smith Day Events

Celebrate Smith Day with alumni in your local area or at your same employer on Thursday, October 26, to show what Maryland Smith means to you! 

If you are interested in planning a regional or corporate/workplace event, contact Mark Forrest at smithalumni@umd.edu.

Smith Day Workplace Events

Do you work with a group of Smith alumni? Looking for an easy way you can all participate in Smith Day? If so, you’ve come to the right spot.

Smith Day workplace events are for Smith alumni who work at the same company. It’s a celebration at your office – super convenient and with minimal time needed for commuting! Here’s how you can help bring Smith alumni at your company together on October 26:

  • Start promoting Smith Day to your colleagues today
  • Organize an in-person or virtual gathering, an informal coffee/lunch meet-up, or a happy hour (and share the details with us at smithalumni@umd.edu so we can help promote it)
  • Encourage fellow Smith Terps to show their school pride by wearing Maryland colors (or their Smith/UMD gear) on October 26
  • Snap a picture of the group and share it with us (and on social media) with #MarylandSmithDay.

And just like that, you’ve brought additional Smith Pride to your office!

If you are interested in planning a workplace event, contact Mark Forrest at maf31@umd.edu.

Past Smith Day Highlights

Note: Smith Day 2021 was the fifth annual occurrence of the event.

Note: Smith Day 2020 was a virtual event, so all activities and events were conducted via Zoom, social media, or they were pre-recorded. Some links from the Day are included below.

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