Smith MBAs Take Strategic Project Management Off-road

In an event organized by four Smith MBA students, 40 students from the University of Maryland and the U.S. Naval Academy drove Land Rovers off-road as part of a program to help them become safer drivers. The event was held on April 12, 2003, and hosted by Land Rover University in Lanham, Md.

More than half of the new cars bought in the United States last year were not cars, they were trucks, SUVs, and minivans, said Michael Carson, a part-time MBA student and lead organizer of the event. Unfortunately, many of the young people driving these vehicles don't realize how differently they handle compared to the cars that they learned to drive. By spending time with Land Rovers driving experts, these young drivers have learned more about what SUVs can and can not do.

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for 18- to 24-year-olds, with driver inexperience playing a large role in many of these crashes.

Drinking and driving also plays a large role in deaths of college students. In fact, 21- to 24-year-olds have the highest alcohol involvement rates (27 percent) in fatal car crashes of any age group. To help combat this, the students also participated in a drunk-driving lesson from the Washington Regional Alcohol Program.

College students have known about the dangers of drinking and driving for many years, yet each generation of students seems to have to relearn this lesson by losing classmates, said Carson. By reinforcing simple safety messages, we can end this cycle.

The driving-safety event was organized by three part-time MBA students: Michael Carson, Justin McNaull, and Joel Yacks; and one full-time MBA student, Rajneesh Jha, to meet the requirements of the schools strategic project management course. The course is designed to help students become better project managers. Each student team is required to plan and carry out a real project that benefits the community.

I want to encourage MBA students to become more involved in community service to create well-rounded business leaders who understand and develop a sense of social responsibility, says course instructor Rhonda Reger, associate professor of management and organization.