Smith Business Magazine: Special Silver Jubilee Edition - Magazine - Page 22
A HISTORY OF THE
Robert H. Smith School of Business
The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business’ ascent to an internationally
recognized, top-ranked business school is a story over a century in the making.
The story began in 1921 with the Department of Economics/Business Administration offering
a business curriculum. Next, the department developed into a full-fledged college that took on
various names over the decades, including the College of Commerce, College of Business and Public
Administration, College of Business and Management, and the Maryland Business School.
In 1998, a generous investment from Robert H. Smith ’50 resulted in the school being named after
him. The following year, Leo Van Munching Jr. ’50 also invested in the school to expand and renovate
Van Munching Hall, establishing the Smith School as one of the world’s most technologically advanced
business learning environments.
Since then, the Smith School has upheld its reputation as a leader in business education, thanks in
part to its world-class faculty, cutting-edge research and influential experiential learning opportunities.
Those factors are also why over 5,000 students across the school’s five campuses and 66,000 alumni
worldwide are empowered to move fearlessly forward into the business world and overcome tomorrow’s
grand challenges.
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SMITH BUSINESS: SILVER JUBILEE EDITION /
fall 2023
rhsmith.umd.edu
