The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business celebrated its winter graduates in a virtual commencement ceremony on Sunday. During the ceremony, which followed the university’s main commencement event, 203 undergraduate students, 70 MBA students and 339 business master’s students were recognized for the completion of their degrees. Additionally, 47 students celebrated finishing the Online MBA, six the Online Master of Science in Business Administration, and 41 the Executive MBA.

A typical MBA classroom looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago. And that’s certainly true at Maryland Smith, where more and more MBA students are women, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). Helping to drive that change are Smith’s growing slate of accessible and flexible MBA programs, Maryland Smith Interim Dean Ritu Agarwal said in a recent interview with Washington Business Journal.

Maryland Smith Terps came together, virtually, this week to celebrate being part of the Smith community during the fourth annual Smith Day.On Thursday, students, faculty, staff and alumni from College Park, Smith’s regional campuses and around the world tuned in virtually for the daylong festivities.

Andy Shallal, EMBA ’19, has seen first-hand how COVID-19 is impacting the restaurant industry across the greater D.C. region and beyond. Despite the challenges, Shallal believes it’s not time for restaurant and business owners to throw in the towel just yet.

The University of Maryland has named Prabhudev Konana, Ph.D., Dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business, effective January 2, 2021. In this role, he will lead Smith in its mission to create knowledge, promote an inclusive learning environment that fosters intellectual discovery, and equip current and future leaders to assess complex problems and deliver innovative solutions.

Maryland Smith’s master’s and MBA programs continue to rank among the best in the world, with alumni outcomes ranking particularly high, according to the 2021 rankings from global higher education and business education analyst QA Quacquarelli Symonds. The latest report from QS includes a new addition to its series of specialized business master’s degrees rankings – for the first time assessing the world’s master’s in supply chain management programs.

Jasmine Snead understands that prioritizing diversity and inclusion can help people “feel more heard,” especially in times of anguish. As vice president of Inclusion and Professional Development of the MBA Association (MBAA), Snead, an FTMBA/MPP student, is currently leading efforts within Maryland Smith’s MBA programs to promote diversity and inclusion in all aspects of business school life. “We are all going to encounter someone from a different background than us, and we want to facilitate healthy communication and discourse for when that happens,” Snead said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted summer internship plans for some Maryland Smith graduate students, faculty leaders of the

Orientation looked a bit different for the current first-year MBA students at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. But much like in previous years, the Smith Orientation Case Competition was a highlight, kicking off the new semester. This year’s competition, hosted virtually in partnership with KPMG, challenged students to create innovative solutions for COVID-19-related problems in the airline, public transit and theater industries.