Across industry and sector, businesses are widening their lenses in pursuit of strategies that benefit both business and society. Gone are the days of the single bottom line. In today's world, purpose-driven business has accelerated to a degree that might be surprising.

A beautiful Friday afternoon welcomed the 3rd Annual Emerging Markets Case Competition at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Nine teams from some eight top U.S. MBA programs gathered at Van Munching Hall for an intense 24-hour preparation and presentation of their findings.

“Silicon Valley is just the tip of the iceberg.” – Erik Peterson, Partner and Managing Director, AT Kearney

The Center for Leadership, Innovation, and Change (CLIC) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business co-hosted an Unconscious Bias discussion with MBA organizations including the Smith Association of Women MBAs (SAWMBA), Black MBA Association, Latin American MBA Association, International MBA Association, Asian American MBA Association, Smith Pride Alliance, Muslim and Middle East Business Student Association, and the Jewish MBA Association on Feb. 13, 2017.

Two teams of MS in Supply Chain Management students from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business placed second and third at the recent annual APICS Mid Atlantic District Case Competition. The Case Competition was held on Feb. 24-25, 2017, in Pittsburgh, Pa. More than 22 teams participated in the preliminary rounds of the competition, and only five teams made it to the final round in Pittsburgh—four of those teams were from the University of Maryland.

The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business organized a trip for Strategic Design Fellow students and faculty members Mary Harms and Howard Bomstein to Richmond, Va., on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, to explore what it would be like to be involved in advertising. Why Richmond? Because that is the location of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Brandcenter, which offers a graduate program featuring five concentrations: experience design, copywriting, art direction, strategy, and creative brand management.

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about Smith Start Networking Day, held on Feb. 24, 2017, at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. To top off a week full of professional development for the freshman class, the Smith Start program had its culminating Networking Day on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, hosted by one of our most generous sponsors and partners, KPMG. This event allowed the freshman class to apply all the networking skills they learned throughout the week in a very realistic setting.

Posters filled the halls of the Smith School atrium on February 16, 2017, as more than 140 undergraduate students gathered to showcase their global learning. Student participants recently returned from five faculty-led, short-term study abroad programs that traveled over winter break to the following locations: Australia and New Zealand; Dubai and Hong Kong; Japan; South Africa; and London, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

On Feb. 3, 2017, the Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) honors program corporate student committee organized a trek to Under Armour’s headquarters and new lighthouse facility in Baltimore, Md.

On Feb. 3, 2017, student officers of the Smith Master Student Association (SMSA) and affiliated clubs at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business participated in a day-long program with the Gettysburg Leadership Experience in Gettysburg, Pa.