For 30 years, when companies and municipalities have faced especially vexing and persistent predicaments, they’ve turned to an elite squad of problem solvers: the students of the Robert H. Smith School of Business’ QUEST Honors Program. From navigating the maze that is the Port of Houston to talking in-depth with ExxonMobil executives, QUEST students have gone inside operations to closely observe them, suss out snags and learn critical skills that have helped many go on to become entrepreneurs, founders and logistics masterminds.

A virtual trip to the doctor’s office was quite productive for these Maryland Smith students. This past semester, a team of four QUEST Honors Program students worked with Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., to provide recommendations toward improving the patient experience, reducing provider burnout, making providers more productive, and increasing the hospital’s bottom line.

The University of Maryland’s Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) Honors Program will welcome one of its most diverse classes ever in the fall of 2020. Since its founding in 1992, the undergraduate program has maintained a commitment to increasing student diversity, with the aim of enriching the learning experience of all members.

Connecting smallholder farmers with low-income consumers creates a range of challenges for Stawi Foods, maker of instant fortified porridge in Kenya. A team of student consultants at the University of Maryland studied the case in spring 2019 and presented recommendations to company founder Eric Muthomi on May 9, 2019. Muthomi came to College Park, Md., with entrepreneurs from nine other African startups to hear deliverables following a semester-long project in the Designing Innovative Systems class taught by professor Joseph P. Bailey, director of the QUEST Honors Program.

Lauren Black, class of 2019 accounting and information systems double major, writes about the QUEST Annual Conference held at the University of Maryland on Dec. 7, 2017. On Dec. 7, seven QUEST teams from Cohort 26 presented their findings and recommendations for their capstone project at the bi-annual QUEST Conference at the University of Maryland. Each team of four-to-five students from varying schools and majors put countless hours into delivering phenomenal presentations that blew the crowd, especially their clients, away.

Four students in the QUEST Honors Program at the University of Maryland won the $4,000 grand prize in the annual Deloitte Consulting Undergraduate National Case Study Competition on March 11, 2017. Qualifying teams from all over the nation took an all-expense paid trip to Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas, and competed head to head for the grand prize. Each team developed and presented a business strategy to a panel of Deloitte executives.

On Feb. 3, 2017, the Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) honors program corporate student committee organized a trek to Under Armour’s headquarters and new lighthouse facility in Baltimore, Md.

Ninety students joined the Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) program this year, kicking off the semester with an orientation to their new program.  QUEST is a multidisciplinary, reality- centered program for University of Maryland undergraduates from three participating schools. Students participate in a challenging course of study that focuses on innovation, quality systems management and teamwork and co-curricular programming aimed at bringing diverse knowledge, skill and perspective to enhance their professional and personal development. 

Next month, 15 students will embark on QUEST’s first trip to Silicon Valley, where they will have the chance to visit 12 businesses and learn first-hand about design, innovation, and quality. These students will have the opportunity to see reality-centered applications of QUEST tools while developing their professional skills. Our goal is to reduce the cost of this trip by 50 percent for each of the students. Show your support today!

The University of Maryland's Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams honors program, known as "QUEST,” is holding its Senior Conference on Thursday, December 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Riggs Alumni Center. Stop by to see student presentations and learn more about the QUEST program! As a preview, we asked current QUEST students what their favorite parts of the QUEST program are in an online survey. Here is what they say are the best aspects of the program: