Congratulations, Smith Class of 2015!

Congratulations to the 1,200 students who graduated from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business on Thursday, May 21, 2015, at the Xfinity Center! The Smith School celebrated with two ceremonies – the first for undergraduates and the second for masters and PhD students.

Undergraduate Commencement

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Smith School alumnus Mark Manoff, Americas Vice Chair at EY, was the featured speaker at the undergraduate ceremony. Manoff has various responsibilities across the Americas, including leading the EY Center for Board Matters, which focuses on relationships and governance with audit committees and other board members. He is also executive sponsor for Leadership Agenda, EY’s program for up-and-coming senior leaders at the firm. Manoff is responsible for EY’s worldwide relationship with IBM. He serves as senior advisory partner on various clients, meeting with senior management and attending audit committee and board meetings.

“It’s always so great to come to this campus – to come home – and never more than on a special day like graduation,” said Manoff. “That’s one of the first things you’ll learn as alumni: the feeling of warmth and gratitude anytime you come back to good old College Park.”

An accounting major at Smith, Manoff laughed about how he threw his calculator off the roof of McKeldin Library after his last class was finished. He went on to talk about what’s next for the graduates.

“Graduates, you can’t control everything. But if you surround yourself with the right people, you’ll do what you can to increase your odds of success,” he said.

At the conclusion of his speech, Manoff said, “Maybe you’ll be asked to address a future class of graduates as the commencement speaker at a school you love. I can tell you firsthand: that will be one the proudest and most inspiring days of your life.”

Connie Chou sang the National Anthem and the student speaker for the undergraduate ceremony was Victoria Shi.

Graduate Commencement

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The keynote speaker for the graduate ceremony was Smith School Dean Alex Triantis. Triantis joined the Smith School in 1995, first as a visiting associate professor, then an associate professor of finance, professor of finance, chair of the finance department and co-founder of the Center for Financial Policy, and now as the eighth dean of the Smith School.

Triantis talked about how to succeed in a rapidly changing world. He said he graduated from college over 30 years ago and his world didn’t have email or Twitter or YouTube or laptops.

“Some of the jobs that exist now certainly won’t exist in 30 years and some of the industries that exist now may not exist in 30 years,” he said. “While sometimes change comes slowly, incrementally, and you have time to adapt. Very often change comes hard and fast. Whether it comes fast or slow, change is disruptive, messy and difficult. During your time with Smith, we have tried to give you the tools and skill sets you will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

Triantis concluded his speech with this final piece of advice: “When disruption comes, focus on the opportunity. And when you get the opportunity, be disruptive! Create the best possible world. We’re counting on you.”

Katherine Ferris Mauss sang the National Anthem and the student speakers for the graduate ceremony were Jamin Gallman, MBA; and Sai Prasad Vishwanathan, MS in Marketing Analytics.

Campus-Wide Commencement

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The main commencement ceremony was held Thursday morning. The keynote speaker was Domonique Foxworth, scholar, athlete and philanthropist. Foxworth graduated in 2004 from Maryland with a degree in American studies and was a standout cornerback for the Terps football team, twice receiving All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2005 and played for seven years in the National Football League with the Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and his hometown Baltimore Ravens.

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- Aissa Arford, Office of Marketing Communications