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Robert H Smith School of Business: Nurturing Leaders for Our Tech-driven Future

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Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland is one of the US's largest and most prestigious public universities. For well over a century, the University of Maryland has consistently nurtured some of the most innovative minds and re-defined how research-based learning is carried out throughout the world. Beyond the US, the University of Maryland also holds the distinction of being one of the largest distance learning institutions in the world. Maryland University's Robert H Smith School of Business is one such school that prepares students to be leaders for a technology-enabled future. The institute's forward-looking curriculum is designed to help students define their path, discover their passion, and engage the future with purpose.

Today, the Robert H Smith School has an alumni net-work of more than 65,000 spread across the globe, with 18 of the faculty members belonging to the bracket of the top 2 percent most cited scholars in the world.

In a recently held interaction with SI Education's Editorial Team, Prabhudev Konana, the presiding Dean at Robert H Smith School of Business, shared some of the institute's features that make it stand apart among all the other Business Schools. Preparing Students to be Leaders of Our Tech-driven Future.

An excerpt from the exclusive interaction:
As you provide a plethora of courses from undergraduate levels to Masters, and all the way up to PhDs, in both on-line and on-campus setup, tell us about the advancements that Robert H Smith tries to bring about through the courses?
In addition to traditional classroom learning and case studies, we at the Smith School strive to make our world-class faculty and their cutting-edge re-search as accessible as possible. This includes special presentations of research that has just been published or is in-process related to the latest trending topics.

In some of our unique programs, like the Flex MBA and Executive MBA, we prepare our students to deal with the most current issues facing business at any given time. And most importantly, our faculties are a carefully planned mix of world-renowned researchers and instructors with invaluable real-world experience, providing students a robust and balanced business education.

Today, extra curriculum activities are considered an essential aspect of the overall development of a successful career.
Throw some light on various additional curriculum activities offered by your institution.
An essential feature of the Robert H Smith experience is the student clubs and organizations that we have in our campuses to keep the students involved at all times. Take, for instance, the Monte Carlo Night held in the previous year. A premiere formal evening event in Washington, D.C. that raises money for charity was well-attended by students from Smith's MBA programs and faculty and staff. Likewise, every program of ours has its own governing student association and body of clubs that change yearly to reflect the interests of the current student body.

Prabhudev Konana,Dean

Tell us about the unique `Smith Experience' that the students of the institute proudly call it.
From personal career coaching to the rare suite of activities that only we offer, experience at Maryland Smith is like no other. What sets us apart is the fact that we prepare our students to take on the responsibilities and intellectual challenges that a keen business sense requires. At the end of the day, we not only develop leaders but individuals who have terrific interpersonal skills that enables them to be invaluable teammates in the workplace.

Robert H Smith School has an alumni network of more than 65,000 spread across the globe, with 18 of the faculty members belonging to the bracket of the top two percent most cited scholars in the world


Prabhudev Konana, Dean
Prabhudev Konana holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from the University of Mysore in India, a Master of Business Administration degree, and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona, Tucson. In his professional journey, Konana would go on to serve as the Associate Dean of Instructional Innovation at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. It was there where Prabhudev gained a reputation for championing innovative specialty programs, technology-enabled instruction, and experiential learning, and promoting strategic partnerships with businesses to support transformative research and learning experiences for students. He successfully led the transition of the entire business school faculty to online hybrid and synchronous teaching after the onset of Covid-19 pandemic. Later in January 2021, Prabhudev got appointed as the Dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. His role at the new helm is to promote Maryland Smith's mission of promoting research excellence, sustainable & innovative programs, and an inclusive learning environment that fosters intellectual discovery.