Community / December 17, 2015

Smith Commencement Ceremony is Dec. 20

Join the Robert H. Smith School of Business on Dec. 20, 2015, to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates at a commencement ceremony from 4–6 p.m. at the Xfinity Center, University of Maryland’s College Park campus. Tickets are not required for the Smith commencement ceremony or the campus-wide ceremony on Dec. 19. 

This year’s keynote speaker is William M. Greenblatt ’79, founder and chairman of SterlingBackcheck. Greenblatt is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the background screening industry. As the founder and chairman of SterlingBackcheck, one of the world’s largest screening companies, he has fundamentally transformed the way companies, both large and small, hire and retain the best talent for their organizations.

SterlingBackcheck began as a mystery shopping service before evolving into a polygraph examinations company in 1975. By the mid-1980s, regulatory changes forced SterlingBackcheck to reinvent itself as an employment screening company. In the years that followed, Greenblatt has led the company with a clear vision for disruptive transformation and a strong commitment to technology. SterlingBackcheck has completed nine acquisitions in the past seven years and now has more than 3,000 employees in 10 cities around the world. Most recently, Goldman Sachs and CDPQ made significant investments in the company, fueling its strategy of global expansion and industry leadership.

For the fifth time since 2007, SterlingBackcheck was named one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America. It was recently named by Deloitte & Touche LLP as one of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in North America and one of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the New York area.

Greenblatt was honored as Entrepreneur of the Year first by Ernst & Young in 2006 and again by the University of Maryland in 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and a Juris Doctor degree from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.​

The National Anthem will be performed by graduating senior Sung Shin. The following students will make remarks: Katarina Belinicher, graduating senior; Neha Pathak, MS degree candidate; and Robert Hallback, MBA degree candidate.

For Smith commencement information, visit www.rhsmith.umd.edu/commencement.

For general UMD commencement information, visit www.commencement.umd.edu.

Join the conversation online at #SmithGrad

Media Contact

Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
301-405-5283  
301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu 

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 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, 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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