Smith Community Celebrates Pat Cleveland

It would be a huge understatement to say that people came to Pat Cleveland’s going away ceremony to acknowledge her accomplishments as associate dean of undergraduate studies at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Sure, during her tenure as associate dean the Smith School has consistently ranked in the top-20 among all undergraduate business programs and in the top-10 business programs at public universities. But to the students, alumni, faculty, staff, recruiters, friends, and family in attendance, Pat Cleveland’s going away ceremony was a time to celebrate a woman who has consistently given her all to every student, every project, every initiative, everything and every one. It was simply a celebration of Pat.

On Thursday, May 3, 2012, this mixed crowd of people crammed into Frank Auditorium to listen to stories about Pat’s time at Smith, her dedication to her students and her endless quirks that so many have grown to love.

“All of us came together because of Pat. She’s the glue that will hold us together with the stories throughout the evening,” the evening’s emcee Mark Weinstein told with the crowd. In between cracking jokes, recanting short stories, and quoting “Patisms,” Weinstein fondly talked about Pat’s passion for education and her students. “Pat is the biggest cheerleader for her students and would march to the ends of the earth for them.”

Weinstein’s sentiments were echoed by Dean G. “Anand” Anandalingam, former Dean Howard Frank, and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies Brian Horick:

Frank: “She invented mentoring here at Smith and created the idea of the Smith Fellows Program – her goal was to make the Smith the best undergraduate program in the world.”

Horick: “When Pat came to us in 1998, she quickly took control of the situation. In a short amount of time we went from trying to survive to thriving. … Thank you for pushing us to levels that we didn’t realize were possible and for always sticking up and protecting us so we could work with our students.”

Anandalingam: “I’ve never seen a person who has done more for her students than Pat Cleveland. The level of passion she has for her students and the program is unmatched. … She is constantly making sure her staff is being taken care of, and if there is an issue, she falls on the sword. …We are really grateful for everything that you’ve done.”

Throughout the celebration, several students and alumni also shared their memories of Pat with the crowd and how greatly she impacted their lives:

Matt Bridge ’03: “She taught me to dare to dream.”

Amanda Lodovico ’08: “One of my favorite things that Pat says is, ‘The world belongs to those who show up.’ I think all of us are here tonight because we show up, because Pat told us to.”

John MacDonald ’12: “Pat was the first luxury of being a Smith School student.”

Chelsea Riedel ’12: “If there wasn’t an opportunity to be had, she would create it for you. … She helped me recognize my potential as a leader. … It’s fitting that Pat is leaving the same year I am graduating. I wouldn’t want to be at the Smith School without her.”

Since joining Smith in 1998, Cleveland has created numerous programs, services, events and activities for the undergrads, including the Smith Undergraduate Fellows Programs, STARS (Smith Talent Acquisition and Referral System) and SUSA (Smith Undergraduate Student Association). She also helped launch the Smith undergraduate program at Shady Grove, has served on the university’s Diversity Task Force, and led the first undergraduate global study trips to Hong Kong, Tunisia and Thailand.

As she steps down from her position as associate dean, Pat will join the faculty of the department of management and organization as a lecturer. In her new role, she will serve as faculty champion of the Global Fellows program and will be a faculty liaison to the Development and Alumni Relations Office.

“I feel privileged to be part of so many families and so many things here at Smith,” Pat said at the end of her celebration. “You know it’s not really a going away party because I refuse to go away.”

- Jessica Smith, Writer and Editor, Office of Marketing Communications