“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.

WeCook, a new tech company that brings personal chefs into people’s homes to stock their refrigerators with meals for a low subscription fee, was the big winner in the Feb. 16 Pitch Dingman Competition. The first-place win came with a $15,000 prize that the startup plans to use for marketing.

Business leader, Navy veteran and Smith School benefactor Leo Van Munching Jr. ’50 died on Feb. 14, 2016, at his home in Darien, Conn. He was 89. Van Munching Hall, home to the Robert H. Smith School of Business and the School of Public Policy, bears his name.

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about “100 days until Graduation,” a special event for seniors at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business to celebrate their final 100 days as a Smith undergraduate and to prepare them for their entry into the Smith Terp Alumni community. As students, we all jump at the sight of the number “100.” You get that exam back, and boom, a 100% shines its brilliant smile at you from the top right corner of the page. Elation washes over you.

UPDATE: Evan Lutz appeared on Shark Tank on Jan. 8, 2016, and received a $100,000 investment from Robert Herjavec for a 10 percent stake in Hungry Harvest.

On Dec. 20, 2015, 700 students graduated from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The commencement ceremony was held at the Xfinity Center, University of Maryland’s College Park campus. “The occasion of your commencement is a time to celebrate journeys, to celebrate beginnings and endings, and all the amazing things that happened in between,” said Alex Triantis, dean of the Smith School, in his opening remarks. “Today, we will look back on your journey and look forward to your future.”

The Center for Leadership, Innovation, and Change (CLIC) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is sponsoring a panel on the “Business Athletes” leadership model at the Smith School Business Summit on Nov. 13, 2015, in Baltimore. The panel will feature Senior Associate Dean Joyce Russell and leaders from a variety of professions – from marketing to sports to finance – to foster a discussion on the qualities that great athletes share with great business leaders.

’70s Arnie Applebaum ’79 is the new general manager of Maryland Media. Robert Bedingfield ’70 joined the Board of Directors at GeoPark Limited. Donald Denkaus, MBA ’70, joined the Board of Directors of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals.

This is a critical time in the life of the Smith School, and active engagement by the alumni community is more important than ever. A leadership transition of the Smith Alumni Chapter Board (ACB) took place June 30 while the board was operating progressively and smoothly. As the incoming and outgoing chairs, we would like to share with the alumni community the progress made over the last three years and our future plans as a board.

Women on the Terrapins Final Four team aren’t the only ones with basketball skills at UMD. On Feb. 27, 2015, more than 350 fans filled Ritchie Coliseum for Smith’s inaugural Court Classic, a tournament of student, alumni and faculty/staff teams. “A new tradition has started at Smith, building class bonds among our soon-to-be alumni,” said Patty Carocci, assistant dean of development and alumni relations.