University of Maryland

Robert H. Smith School of Business

At the Smith School of Business, we recognize that the role of business is irrevocably changing. In today's global environment, organizations and their leaders must consider how social, economic, environmental and ethical factors directly affect business strategy. Business leaders are increasingly being called upon to redefine success and organizational viability through goals that not only ensure desired business outcomes, but also enable the advancement of the quality of life for stakeholders and society as a whole. As a result, we are seeing innovations in business models and the application of business to address social challenges. We believe that educational institutions have an important role to play here.
In the fall of 2008, the Smith School released a report concerning the disparity between businesses and business schools in the area of social and environmental responsibility. Professors Rhonda Reger and J. Robert Baum analyzed the content of nearly 100 corporate and business school Web sites. What they discovered was that business schools are lagging behind many companies whose stances toward social responsibility and corporate accountability are more ambitious and forward thinking. Dean Anand and the faculty at Smith believe that business schools around the country should be leading the discourse on social responsibility, not following it. This, along with the growing demands of students, corporate constituents and alumni to make social and environmental impact a priority, became the impetus behind the Smith Center for Social Value Creation.
The Center's mission is to build a generation of leaders with a deep sense of individual responsibility and the knowledge to use business as a vehicle for social change. Through an engaging curriculum, real-world field experience, cutting-edge research, and targeted career planning, the Center for Social Value Creation immerses students in complex and dynamic marketplaces where creative vision and thoughtful entrepreneurship tackle some of society's most critical environmental and humanitarian issues. You can find out more about the Center at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/svc/
We do not consider social value creation an "adjunct" to students' education. In fact, it is our intention to incorporate the values and vision implicit to social value creation into all business courses offered at the Smith School. Our goal is to inspire our students so that they may see new possibilities to their financial, social and environmental contributions as business leaders of the 21st century.
About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, MS, PhD, and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.
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