Stacks on Smith: Senior Pancake Night

In the spirit of community and celebrating our awesome senior class, faculty and staff of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business donned aprons and chef hats for the Inaugural Stacks on Smith Senior Pancake Night, Dec. 18, 2013.

More than 200 hungry seniors filled Van Munching Hall’s Pownall Atrium, ready for a fun-filled dinner with their classmates. The menu was all-you-can-eat pancakes with an endless array of toppings and other scrumptious breakfast fare. 

Instead of lectures, the faculty and staff had a different job that evening: serving. It was a unique opportunity for faculty to mingle with students in different surroundings, while wishing them well as finals approached. 

“I got to have some great conversations with professors that I hadn't had for class and I even got some valuable advice,” said Smith senior Kushaan Shah. “It was very cool to see how invested Smith faculty is into students they had just met; it goes to show just how tight-knit the community is at Smith!” 

“We are so excited to begin this new undergraduate tradition with the Smith’s class of 2014,” said Victor Mullins, associate dean for undergraduate programs. “Faculty and staff celebrated our seniors by serving each one of them piping hot pancakes and all the fixings." 

Stacks on Smith is an event that exemplifies the sense of community that is core to Smith’s supportive and collaborative spirit. In celebrating seniors with an informal, fun gathering, the deans and the faculty have the opportunity to connect with students outside the classroom. 

“Stacks on Smith was a great break for us in the midst of finals craziness,” added Smith senior Lindsay Djuhadi. “Getting served pancakes by Dean Mullins, administration and faculty made me feel as if everyone at Smith cares and takes the time to serve us, which is above and beyond their normal responsibilities!” 

"I've never seen nor heard of any other department on campus that honors their undergraduate students, and the seniors in particular, the way that the Smith School does," said Smith senior Ehson Kashfipour. "The idea of having Smith's favorite faculty serving breakfast food to and informally mingling with the students is unprecedented. I think I speak on behalf of the entire senior class when I say that it was truly meaningful to see so many deans, professors, and staff take the time out of their evenings to help build this sense of community within the Smith School. Similarly, the students were excited and appreciative of this initiative made by the school, and everyone left feeling great about themselves as a Smith senior."

Find out more about Smith’s undergraduate program.

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