UMD-Smith Leadership Academy Launches Cohort 3

On Friday, September 12, 2014, the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business launched the third cohort of the now campus-wide UMD-Smith Leadership Academy. The Smith School welcomed participants from across campus, bringing together areas ranging from art history to athletics, from facilities to finance, making this the most diverse class to date.  

“Two years ago, we had a vision,” said Bobvita Salters, director of human resources at the Smith School. “We thought, ‘wouldn’t it be awesome if we could partner with University Human Resources and open Leadership Academy up to campus?’” 

And so they did.

From a professional development standpoint, it was a great idea. Leadership Academy was launched in 2012 by Smith’s Offices of Executive Programs and Human Resources as a pilot program for Smith School staff. It was clear from the beginning that it could be a great opportunity to build community with our College Park peers, and to deliver the same high quality experiential learning that our executives receive. An agreement was made with UHR and the program launched campus-wide in 2014.

The session began with a welcome from Smith School Vice Dean Joyce Russell, who would later teach a module on personality types based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. As participants discovered the strengths and challenges of their type, Russell gave tips on how to work together. “People gravitate to careers based on their personality type. For example, sales is comprised of about 80 percent extraverts. However, you can be successful whether you’re an extravert or an introvert,” Russell said.

Program Director Andrea Morris introduced some of the teaching faculty present and gave an overview of the tenets of the program to the packed classroom. “This will be a great addition to your professional development portfolio and a wonderful opportunity to network with your campus colleagues,” Morris said. “You’ll be able to take back everything you learn to your departments and apply them to your day-to-day responsibilities.” 

Gary Cohen, assistant dean of executive programs, introduced the class to the ALP – or Action Learning Project – a hallmark of the Smith School’s executive and other academic program offerings. It’s basically a “learn by doing” component that solidifies the concepts taught in the classroom by applying them in real-time. Cohen said, “The ALP is a great way to better understand some of the key issues here at the University of Maryland. I believe it will be tremendously rewarding to work with your campus colleagues on some of the challenges facing the University that really need your help.”

Leadership Academy will cover several subject areas in the coming months: strategic thinking, project management, customer service excellence, financial acumen, negotiations, leadership and impactful communications. A new diversity and inclusion module will be added, starting with this cohort. Also, Smith School Dean Alex Triantis will be returning to the roster of instructors from our award-winning Smith faculty.

Of the 30 UMD staff members in the new cohort, five are from the Smith School. 

Congratulations to the third cohort of UMD-Smith Leadership Academy.

We expect great things from you.

UMD-SMITH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY COHORT 3 PARTICIPANTS:

Millicent Locke, Office of Marketing Communications