The Smith School's Center for Social Value Creation partners with AqVerium, the first digital water bank, to drive water sustainability. This collaboration will promote education, research, and water-saving practices, aiming to achieve Water Positivity by 2030.

Impact Consulting Fellowship students from the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business participated in the PALS spring project showcase, winning Outstanding Student Awards for collaborating with Community Forklift. They worked on sustainability projects with real-world community impact.

On April 19, 2024, Smith’s Center for Social Value Creation joined EarthFest to raise recycling awareness, featuring a game to educate students on proper recycling practices and highlight common recycling misconceptions.

University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business students are pioneering advancements in the banking sector, focusing on community development and financial inclusion. In the M&T Bank x CSVC Case Competition, teams presented scholarly solutions, utilizing technology and partnerships for enhanced banking engagement.

Smith undergraduate students from four business fraternities competed in the inaugural Inter-fraternity Pledging Case Competition at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Judges from SECU Credit Union evaluated financial literacy-based solutions to community issues. The event hailed as a success by CSVC Director Nima Farshchi, showcased experiential learning and social impact.

Daniel Alegbeleye, a determined law school graduate, defies the odds by prioritizing education over Division 1 football offers. Now pursuing an MBA at the University of Maryland, he intertwines his business acumen with a passion for social justice, inspired by his parents' sacrifices. A market development manager at National Nail, he embraces leadership, teamwork, and community engagement.

The Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 stigmatized local employers by creating the impression that strongly anti-diversity attitudes put on display by white supremacists were widespread in the community. Employers sought to counteract this “stigma by association” by dramatically increasing the extent to which they included pro-diversity language in their job advertisements. This is according to research by Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Reuben Hurst at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Industry leaders and academics from around the world gathered in Van Munching Hall recently to exchange insights into individuals and organizations creating value in their communities. The event – Creating Value Alliances 6th Global Conference on Creating Value – was hosted Oct. 19-21, 2023, by the Center for Social Value Creation (CSVC) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

For most entrepreneurs, acquiring capital can be the difference between a vision and seeing their venture come to life. However, for entrepreneurs from marginalized and underrepresented communities, there are even more barriers to overcome. On Thursday, Nov. 16, a panel of bank executives, entrepreneurs and investors convened in Van Munching Hall to share their lessons in acquiring capital and to highlight opportunities for general business growth for entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities during Elevate! Diverse Founders: Access to Capital.