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.

When Dean Prabhudev Konana initiated the Office of Experiential Learning (OEL) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, he described its mission as “to expand and deepen existing alumni and corporate relationships to increase career success odds for students opportunities for our students to get the type of real-world, practical learning that will make them the most sought after by employers when they graduate.”

The Smith School has always known how important experiential learning is for students. These hands-on, immersive experiences and opportunities to solve real problems for real companies help them develop critical thinking skills, greater resilience, and an ability to lead the organizations of the future. Smith has offered this type of learning—both in the classroom and beyond—for years.

Fourteen faculty teams at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business have been awarded three-year grants from the school for research projects that address the world’s grand challenges and reimagine learning in support of the University of Maryland’s vision and the Smith School’s strategic plan.

Consumers, shareholders and regulators are increasingly demanding that companies be committed to sustainability and social good, and now a comprehensive new report from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business can help companies figure out how to do that most effectively.

The Maryland Smith chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi drew multiple accolades at the world’s largest business fraternity’s 2022 Convention, held August 3-6 in Miami. The Smith chapter, represented by President Jean Han (’23) and Director of Pledge Education Ayman Bootwala (’24), received Outstanding Programming awards in the categories of Knowledge, Integrity and Unity.

Maryland Smith is pushing students and business leaders to create a better world through business. That means considering multiple stakeholders – how a company’s environmental, social and corporate governance policies impact the world beyond just returning profits to shareholders. ESG is gaining momentum among businesses and investors and was the topic of Maryland Smith’s inaugural ESG Conference: Reimagine Your Impact, hosted by the Center for Social Value Creation on May 6, 2022.

Beyond quantifying and getting their boards to understand traditional financial risks such as credit and market risk, corporate risk officers are grappling with a host of nontraditional risks associated with and ranging from cyber to ESG (environmental, social and governance) and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).

When industry professionals want to take the next step in their career and focus on a bigger picture, the Conference for Value Creation can help. Maryland Smith’s Nima Farshchi, who chaired the first day of the three-day conference this year, says the event offers a robust discussion of the definition of value creation in business, showcases various cultures and perspectives, and explores how to utilize research to create positive change in industries.

There’s always cause for celebration at the end of semesters, and Maryland Smith’s Social Innovation Fellows (SIF) made the most of theirs. Students met with Faculty Champion David Kirsch, associate professor of management and organization at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, for an outdoor dinner at a nearby College Park restaurant.