ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024
ABOUT SBLF
TheSmithBusinessLeadershipFellows(SBLF) Programisatwoyearprogramthatencourages studentstodevelopintellectually,personallyand professionally.TheSBLFcurriculumandextra curricularactivitiesaredesignedtoprovideour studentswiththeframeworksneededtothriveintheir collegiatejourneys,careersandpersonallives.
Throughourtwomainpillars,“FocusonMe”and “FocusonWe,”studentslearnconcepts,frameworks, interpersonal,andintrapersonalskillstohelpthem navigatetheirlivesandcareersandpursueboth personalandprofessionalhappiness.
2023-2024 LEADERSHIP TEAM
Affiliated Faculty
Staff
Dr. Protiti Dastidar Margaret Malewski Jacqueline Manger
Rachel DiDonna Assistant Director
Amy Bielicki Program Coordinator
Dr. Rajshree Agarwal Christine Masterson Schaaf
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTORS
We are pleased to share with you the 2024 Smith Business Leadership Fellows Annual Report This past year the SBLF Program introduced three new courses that students will complete in order to acquire an SBLF transcript notation. Through the addition of our new courses and transcript notation, we continue to encourage our SBLF students to develop personally, professionally, and intellectually.
During the spring 2024 semester, 23 of our students from Cohort 1 completed their SBLF Capstone Project. The project centered on President Darryl Pines’ Grand Challenge of Food Insecurity Additionally, our Cohort 2 students completed their Consulting Project Presentations for The Future of You, Business, and Society, and dazzled our judges with their entrepreneurship pitches during The Enterprising Leader The creativity and problem-solving imbued into projects and courses is indicative of the high caliber of students in SBLF
Our third Cohort of SBLF students will begin their collegiate journeys in August 2024 We will be welcoming 66 students from 11 states and 2 countries Our staff is preparing an exciting orientation program that will connect cohort members and students from Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 We are excited to welcome these new students to the SBLF family
In Fall 2024 we will debut our SBLF Mentors Class, BMGT298E: Leadership Development and Mentorship in Business. This class is comprised of SBLF students in their Junior year who will serve as mentors in our first SBLF course - The Future of You, Business and Society. Freshman SBLF students are each assigned a mentor who serves as a guide and role model throughout their initial semester in SBLF.
The SBLF curriculum and extra curricular activities are designed to provide our students with the frameworks needed to thrive in their collegiate journeys, careers and personal lives Our community is strengthened by dedicated faculty and staff, corporate partners, guest lecturers and most importantly our students
In this report, you will learn more about this academic year's student and program accomplishments Thank you for your continued support of the Smith Business Leadership Fellows Program as we journey into our third year
Sincerely,
Dr. Rajshree Agarwal SBLF Co-Director
Christine Masterson Schaaf SBLF Co-Director
92% of students agree that SBLF has provided them with unique opportunities/experiences
91% of students have built relationships with other students in their Cohort during their first semester
92% of students would recommend SBLF to an incoming student
166
SBLF Students
*chart includes students who are majoring in more than one discipline
COHORT 2
COHORT 1
SBLF COURSES
FRESHMAN YEAR
Fall
BMGT162: The Future of You, Business, and Society
This course is designed to help students explore the future of you, business, and society Even as the nature of business (the how) evolves with technology, the purpose of business —to create individual and social prosperity (the why) —remains the same. Students learn the foundational concepts of how to lead themselves with purpose and develop win-win relationships. They also learn how organizations solve unmet needs in society, and how organizations develop and leverage the power of technology and new business practices to create value in an ethical way.
Spring
BMGT262L: The Enterprising Leader
This course is designed to help develop student leadership skills so students can identify their personal and professional purpose with an entrepreneurial mindset, and create strategies that will help them develop their abilities and achieve their aspirations by collaborating within teams and organizations This course applies insights from recent scholarship in entrepreneurship, leadership, and strategic management
*Fulfills DSSP and Big Questions Gen Ed credits
“I love that SBLF is not just academically focused, but also emphasizes the importance of communication and fun in community building activities.”
-Elizabeth Runsdorf, Cohort 1
SOPHOMORE YEAR
Fall
BMGT263: Challenge your Thinking, Challenge the Conversation “Challenge the Conversation/Challenge your Thinking” is an important component of training the next generation of leaders to address the Grand Challenges of today. This course helps students engage thoughtfully in conversations they encounter within business and socio-economic settings to create meaningful change. Students learn conceptual frameworks, engage in experiential opportunities, build psychological safety within themselves and in team environments, and engage in rational and respectful discourse on “hot topics and issues ”
Spring
BMGT264: SBLF Capstone Course
Provides students in the Smith Business Leadership Fellows Program (SBLF) with a capstone opportunity to learn in teams in a real-world setting. Students engage with meaningful organizational challenges and industry professionals and leverage resources to help them address today’s Grand Challenges Student teams enhance their skills in critical thinking, collaboration, negotiation, quality management, and communication
Specialized Course Sections
SBLF students have the unique opportunity to take smaller, more personalized sections of required business courses
BMGT110L: Introduction to Business Value Chain
BMGT220L: Principles of Accounting I
BMGT221L: Principles of Accounting II
BMGT230L: Business Statistics
COMM107B: Oral Communication: Principles and Practices*
*fulfills Oral Communication General Education requirement
BMGT162 POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Event Overview
The BMGT162 SBLF Poster Presentation Evening was held in the McKeldin Library Special Events Room 6317 on Tuesday, December 5 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM. There were 12 student teams that presented their Center of Excellence consulting recommendations. Judges for the event included the Directors of each Smith Center of Excellence, SBLF Undergraduate Program Staff, and Office of Career Services
At the end of the evening, awards were presented to one team from each Center who had and presented the best set of recommendations
Winning Teams Center for Global Business: Emily Davis, Makayla Bottoms, Olivia Kramin, Samuel Belay, and Gavin Foonberg
Center for Social Value Creation: Matthew Li, Nathan Mallalieu, Jay Blaise, Alexandra Doncheva, Ruby Houle, and Giana Colonna
Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets: Kerry Teichwei, Choudelie Cadet, Celeste Mondragon, Jordan Cohen, and Evan Wersheiner.
Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship: Audrey Rea, Akash Verma, Stephanie Hernandez, Gabriel Huynh, and Cooper Dorf.
SBLF CAPSTONE EVENT
This year the SBLF Capstone Event was held in the STAMP Student Union Atrium on Wednesday, May 8 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Stude teams presented their recommendations for combating Food Insecu in Maryland to faculty, family, and guests. As one of President Pine Grand Challenges, students were required to address the problem through entrepreneurial leadership and innovation
During the final class session, teams presented to a panel of judges, Fernanda Lopez, Sean McHale, and Dr. Laté Lawson-Lartego all industry experts in Food Insecurity.
The winning team, chosen by our judges, was announced during the Capstone event The winning team was Caroline Sabo, Stephen Lawrence, Jimmy Miller, and Aidan Gaines, pictured right with their Capstone Advisor, Abby Wexler.
From left: Caroline Sabo, Stephen Lawrence, Jimmy Miller, Aidan Gaines, Abby Wexler
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND EVENTS
Organizations
SBLF cultivated 3 new student organizations for students to participate in during the 2023-2024 academic year Through these organizations, SBLF students were able to engage thoughtfully with their peers, build community throughout the program, and business skills.
Programming Board: Created and hosted professional, social, and community building events throughout the academic year The Programming Board consisted of 10 students.
Marketing Team: Executed engaging social media posts, enhancing our presence on LinkedIn and Instagram The Marketing Team consisted of 5 students
Ambassadors: Served as the primary contact for prospective students and presented at Open Houses and online forums The Ambassadors Team consisted of students
Events
Charcuterie Board Night: Cohort 1 students loved this opportunity to connect and learn how to craft an exceptional charcuterie board One of our most popular events of the year
Build Your Own Stuffed Animal: Hosted by the Programming Board, students dropped in between classes, ate some Valentine’s day snacks, built a stuffed animal, and got to know students from other cohorts
Pickleball Tournament: The SBLF Programming Board put together a successful end of end-of-year celebration with our first-ever Pickleball Tournament! Students from Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 were excited to challenge Dr Agarwal and were treated to a Ledo’s pizza lunch after the tournament
AchieveyourLeadershipPotential withRayDiDonna
StudentsfrombothCohortsgatheredinearly Novemberforapresentationonleadershipand buildingyourpersonalbrandfromRayDiDonnaof DiDonnaConsulting,LLC Rayhelpedstudents identifyfivecoreleadershipcompetenciesthatthey canbuildthroughouttheircollegecareers
Focusingonpersonalbrand,Raybrokedownthe differentwaysthatstudentscanbuildtheirlegacies intotwoquestions:“Whatdoyouwanttobeknown as?“and“Whatdoyouwanttobeknownfor?“
p g Jeff’s unique role as a Fractional CFO is something that is relatively new in industry. Students asked Jeff questions about his background in business and his specific work as a fractional CFO Jared Morson, Jeff’s son, also spoke with our students Currently pursuing a Master of Accounting degree at Penn State Smeal College of Business, Jared shared knowledge with our students about internships, searching for full-time jobs, and his key takeaways from working for both small and large organizations This event was open to Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 students. theroleof citedlunch firstsemesterinSBLF
Dean Prabhudev Konana speaking to Cohort 2 students at South Campus Dining Hall
Ray DiDonna presenting to Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 students.
Jared Morson and Jeff Morson, CFO posing for a photo in Van Munching Hall.
LOOKING FORWARD
As we enter the third year of the Smith Business Leadership Fellows Program, we continue to enhance all aspects of our program A few of our significant enhancements for the next academic year include:
SBLF Courses will be held in the new Van Munching Hall TERP Classrooms
An SBLF Lab, open to all Cohorts, to be utilized for cohort learning and community development
Inaugural SBLF Study Abroad trip
SBLF Mentors Course for Fall 2024
Partner with SBLF
SBLF is designed to help students grow intellectually, professionally and personally. We welcome the opportunity to partner with companies and industry professionals to help enhance student learning both in and out of the classroom. SBLF Staff is happy to connect organizations with our students for internship and job opportunities. To discuss partnership and marketing opportunities please email SBLF Program Coordinator, Amy Bielicki at sblf@umd edu
