This semester Center for Social Value Creation program Manager Pammi Bhullar connected the 17th cohort of student to high performing nonprofits for semester-long consulting projects through the ChangeTheWorld.org Nonprofit consulting program at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. This year, fifty UMD students, both graduate and Undergraduate, worked with eleven nonprofits on strategic consulting projects.  

This Fall, the Social Entrepreneurship Lab (SE Lab) was piloted at the Robert H. Smith School of Business under the leadership of Professor Christine Beckman and Adjunct Professor Sara Herald. The Lab is an active learning environment where students test hypotheses around the creation of social ventures, and thereby develop a first-hand understanding of how the field works.

Now in its fourth year at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Social Innovation Fellows (SIF) welcomed a new face of the program this Fall. Professor David Kirsch has taken on the SIF curriculum and breathed a new energy into the program.  “So far, I think SIF is more of an experience than a class.” said Mandy Yard, current SIF Fellow. “I have been able to learn business concepts and apply them to real life, while focusing on how to change the world.”

Last Sunday, November 23, 2014, a movement of "Jammers" convened at the University of Maryland to build sustainable solutions for our UMD community. The 3rd annual Sustainability Jam united students from diverse backgrounds to create new, real-world ideas that promote and advance Sustainability on campus. Students also collaborated with UMD staff on how to make their ideas a reality at UMD. 

Ten ChangeTheWorld.org student teams showcased their work this semester at the ChangeTheWorld.org Fall 2014 Symposium. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about each project and gave feedback to the presenters. Attendees included fellow and prospective student consultants, ChangeTheWorld mentors and clients and Smith School staff.   

Today, the Center for Social Value Creation (CSVC) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business officially launched the Living Lab Portal. This online platform is designed to connect UMD students with experiential learning projects focused on improving the UMD campus and local community.

How do you translate an MBA education into an impact-driven career? That was the topic of conversation at the Social Impact Careers panel discussion hosted by the Robert H. Smith School of Business's Office of Career Services on Monday, Novemeber 10th. 

The 2014 Maryland Social Entrepreneur Corps (MSEC) wrapped up this month with an evening symposium for students to share their experiences with program partners, sponsors and prospective students. This past summer, fifteen UMD undergraduates traveled to Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador to support sustainable economic development. The students deeply impacted communities across all three countries by supporting the creation of businesses selling life changing products such as eye glasses, cook stoves and water filtration systems.

According to Net Impact’s recently released 2014 “Business as UNusual” rankings, the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business ranks 20th in Social Impact and 30th in Sustainability among MBA programs.