“The Social Enterprise Symposium has become the University of Maryland’s premiere event on social enterprise and social entrepreneurship, and we are dedicated to exploring the connection between economic prosperity and lasting social and environmental change,” said Christine Beckman, director of the Center for Social Value Creation at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, as she welcomed attendees to the Eighth Annual Social Enterprise Symposium (SES). The event was held at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union in College Park, Md., on March 4, 2016.

Students at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business have traveled near and far throughout the 2015-16 academic year. From Vietnam to Brazil and numerous countries in between, they are broadening their global mindset, embracing cultural diversity and improving their knowledge of global business practices.

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about a Smith Start event on global perspective and diversity for freshmen at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business on Feb. 18, 2016.

Qatar's Ambassador to the United States, Mohammed bin Jaham Al Kuwari, highlighted the importance of economic diplomacy during a lecture Feb. 23, 2016, at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Examples from Qatar include a $100 million Hurricane Katrina fund to support post-disaster housing, healthcare and education in New Orleans. More recently, Qatar pledged $100 million at the Syria Donors Conference — in addition to $1.6 billion already contributed to alleviate the Syrian refugee crisis.

Twenty students from the University of Maryland traveled to South Africa over winter break, Jan. 4-17, 2016, in partnership with the University of Cape Town's SHAWCO-Centre for Entrepreneurship. This is the second year that students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business have participated in this global learning experience.

Michigan State University CIBER has completed the 2016 Nationwide Benchmarking Report on International Business at Community Colleges following a nationwide benchmarking study. The report utilizes an IBEX (International Business Education Index) score to make benchmarks available for community colleges. The score is calculated based on five pillars: funding, organizational infrastructure, program offerings, investment in faculty and strategic commitment.

SMITH BRAINTRUST – Haier Group’s recent $5.4 billion purchase of General Electric’s appliance unit is expected expand the China-based manufacturer’s market share and distribution channels and potentially boost its credibility among U.S. consumers.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Headlines have been gloomy for Brazil in recent weeks. “Worst Recession Since 1901.” “Rio Olympics Face Deep Cuts.” “Pain to Deepen in 2016.” Even the samba has turned sober for the Carnival that will start on Feb.

Smith Partners on State International Trade Initiative The Maryland Department of Commerce just launched a new international initiative to boost exporting by Maryland companies and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School is partnering with the agency to help.

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business kicked off International Education Week, a joint initiative of the national Departments of State and Education, with a session on Global Competence in Business.  The panel discussion featured the expertise of global executives as well as Mohamed Abdel-Kader, deputy assistant secretary of international and foreign language education at the U.S. Department of Education.