As Busboys and Poets founder Andy Shallal, MBA ’19, fixed a shattered window from a break-in at his restaurant chain’s Anacostia location, he found an opportunity to turn his misfortune into inspiration. After staring at the black piece of plywood that now occupied his window space, Shallal picked up his paintbrushes and went to work. The result: “Busboys [heart] Anacostia.”

Alum Organizes Virtual Run to Benefit Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund Jason Hershman ’11 had been running more miles than ever before this spring in hopes of setting a personal record at the Boston Marathon. But as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports worldwide, the prestigious race had to be pushed well past the traditional Patriots’ Day, rescheduled for September.

Something happens when a Maryland Smith senior finishes that final exam, submits that final essay, and dons a cap and gown. It is the moment, says Maryland Smith’s Victor Mullins, when they begin to write their stories. For the Spring 2020 graduating class, the book opens in a challenging time. Navigating the unprecedented circumstances invoked by the coronavirus pandemic may prove difficult, Mullins says, but Maryland Smith graduates are prepared for what lies ahead.

It began as an individual effort to donate masks to a few classmates and professors in China. From there, the idea began to grow. Maryland Smith alum Luhan Tang, MBA ’19, expanded the initiative into the UMD4Masks Campaign, wanting to help address the shortage of face masks faced by frontline medical workers as they worked to treat patients and contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Maryland is under stay-at-home orders, but members of the Maryland Smith community still are finding ways to reach out, while practicing social distancing. They’re extending a virtual hand to UMD students, schoolchildren in neighborhoods, and medical professionals who are caring for COVID-19 patients.

Even from home, Maryland Smith students know that the show must go on. On Thursday, April 23, 2020, over 70 students, faculty and staff from the full-time MBA program came together via Zoom to show off their talents outside of the classroom in this year’s Smith’s Got Talent competition.

With a hiring committee assembled and a job description published online, the search for a new dean at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is officially under way.

The University of Maryland’s Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) Honors Program will welcome one of its most diverse classes ever in the fall of 2020. Since its founding in 1992, the undergraduate program has maintained a commitment to increasing student diversity, with the aim of enriching the learning experience of all members.

Despite social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maryland Smith undergraduates can still attend a career fair, visit top companies, connect with recruiters, meet with advisors and administrators, and celebrate together this spring – all virtually. Smith’s offices of Undergraduate Programs and Career Services are innovating and adapting to bring events and activities online to serve students and keep the community strong.

Marriott executive delivers keynote at Bradford Awards The theme for the evening was “Transcend the Power of Us: Our 2020 Vision,” as students, faculty members and others gathered for the 27th annual William D. Bradford Awards Reception, an event dedicated to celebrating diversity and inclusion at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. "All of us here have a role to play. Only when we live and breathe diversity will we become the school we were meant to be," Interim Dean Ritu Agarwal told the audience.