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.

Bill McDermott is a fantastic storyteller with tremendous energy. The CEO of SAP enthralled an audience of students, alumni, faculty, and staff at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business with tales of his life experiences. From his first entrepreneurial venture, to his most memorable sale, to his an overhaul of the worst branch at Xerox, to what he learned from a terrible accident, McDermott had his audience on the edge if their seats.

The Smith Master Student Association (SMSA) hosted a Chinese New Year celebration in Van Munching Hall on Friday, February 5, 2016. More than 140 specialty masters students, staff, and faculty at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business attended to enjoy the authentic Chinese food and celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Monkey.

On February 5, 2016, student club officers of the Smith Master Student Association (SMSA) and affiliated clubs participated in a day-long LeaderShape Catalyst session at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. LeaderShape is a national organization specializing in higher education leadership development programs.

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.

Wondering what news articles were most popular with Smith Terps in 2015? Check out the top seven news stories of the year from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

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 University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is a co-host for ‘a conversation’ with Council on Foreign Relations Co-Chairman Robert Rubin on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. in the Gildenhorn Theatre at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. UMD economics professor John Haltiwanger will moderate the discussion on “The U.S. Economy: Short- and Long-Term Outlook Challenges.”

BE PART OF THE SMITH SCHOOL HOLIDAY VIDEO! Students, faculty and staff at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business: You’re invited to be part of our annual Smith School Holiday Video! This year’s video will showcase the “Making of the Holiday Video” – a behind-the-scenes look at how we would make a holiday video. In this case, it is the video – think American Idol auditions. We need your help in four ways:

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.