Preparing Future Business Leaders

Finance major Donovan Wayman, class of ’27, was drawn to the Smith School for its innovative programs that prepare students to be future business leaders.

“I wanted to be around equally driven and intellectual students who could challenge many of my thoughts,” says Wayman, a Robert H. Smith Undergraduate Scholarship recipient. That’s exactly what he found in the Smith Business Leadership Fellows Program (SBLF).

“We’ve listened to amazing guest speakers and engaged in thought-provoking discussions in class,” Wayman says.

SBLF is just one of Smith’s many initiatives that immerse students in innovative business education immediately after stepping foot on campus.   

The Interdisciplinary Business Honors Living-Learning Program (IBH) is another recently introduced program, in partnership with the UMD Honors College. The two-year program is designed for all UMD students and helps them develop the technical business skills to tackle society’s biggest social, environmental, human rights and public health challenges.

Smith’s network of talented students also continues to expand through its general business and computational finance minors. 

The general business minor gives students a competitive edge by pairing business skills with their existing major. That’s what attracted cellular biology and genetics major Nishi Veer, class of ’26.

“I’ve learned how business is fundamental for every position,” says Veer. “This background will help me in my pre-health track, and create opportunities in entrepreneurship, management, administrative, economic and marketing positions.”

The 15-credit computational finance minor is designed for computer science majors. It teaches students how to apply analytical models and machine learning to financial tasks they will encounter in roles related to banking, investing, financial regulation
or financial technology.

Finance and accounting student Grayson Vintz, class of ’25, has cultivated these skills through initiatives like Smith’s Wall Street Fellows and Lemma Senbet Fund. 

“The key to maximizing the value of these programs lies in building meaningful relationships,” says Vintz. 

Students also develop career skills by working with real industry clients, with one the newest opportunities offered by the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business. In November, more than 120 business master’s, MBA and Plus 1 students developed their AI and big data skills in the first Artificial Intelligence in Business Case Competition.

“Experiences like these complement what we do in the classroom and provide opportunities for students to stretch themselves,” says Balaji Padmanabhan, center director. “Companies love to hear students talk about things they did outside the classroom that showcase their skills and initiative. We hope to provide such an experience every semester if we can for the students to showcase their abilities to design cool AI solutions to thorny business problems.”