Business School Adds G.I. Concierge

UMD Robert H. Smith School of Business Makes Move to Boost Military Outreach

College Park, Md. – July 15, 2014 – Active-duty and veteran students at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business now have a dedicated staff member to help them make a smooth transition to the classroom and ultimately end up in their desired careers. In an effort to better serve a steadily growing market, the Washington, D.C.-area school recently appointed Richard Campbell as director of military and veteran affairs. 

“We created this role as a concierge service for our military students,” said Alexander Triantis, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “We love to have these students in the classroom, companies want them, and we just want to make it as easy for them as possible to navigate the military benefits process and assimilate into our strong community. We want to help them while they are here and help them be successful when they leave.” 

Campbell will work with admitted MBA students who are prior or current members of the U.S. Armed Services to welcome them to Smith’s strong military community and help them transition to business school and into the workplace. He will work as their personal agent in the corporate arena to help these students land the jobs they want, liaising with companies looking specifically to recruit MBA students with military experience. 

Campbell will also guide students through the military’s educational benefits process. As a disabled veteran and Smith MBA graduate himself, Campbell has firsthand experience with the complexities of benefits paperwork and will be able to help students make the best use of their available resources. 

Campbell will work with students in Smith’s full-time, part-time, online and executive MBA programs. He will also work with the school’s admissions team to identify outreach opportunities to bring military personnel to the Smith School. With campuses in Washington, D.C., College Park, Baltimore, and Rockville, Md., the Smith School is well situated to serve military students. 

Campbell’s priorities include running a school-wide club for military students to strengthen the tight-knit community and provide networking opportunities. He is already heading up a once-a-month meeting of active-duty and veteran students and alumni. 

“As a military person, you are really looking for that community and support that you know so well from your service,” says Campbell. “The community aspect is really what students are interested in, and it’s one of the top reasons I landed at Smith as a student myself. My role will ensure that community only gets stronger and that military students achieve their goals while they are here.”