Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about the business minor program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
The Smith minor program is a major reason why the business school is such a unique academic establishment. While other highly acclaimed undergraduate business programs subscribe to an exclusive culture, Smith allows students from any school on campus to learn core business principles as a compliment to their primary major. Smith minor programs do not subtract from the special experience Smith major students have, rather they open up the experience to other students who will inevitably benefit from developing a stronger business acumen for a successful career in any field. Whether you are a journalism student looking to gain management skills, or an engineer that is seeking entrepreneurial fundamentals, or even an art student that wants to combine their passion with marketing and advertising, Smith can help you take your skillset and talents to the next level. All of this comes as no surprise; it is just another extension of the Smith spirit, cultivating everyone’s inherent potential to achieve greatness through focused resources and networks.
This year, the Smith minor program admitted over 220 students from all fields of study. On Sept. 8, 2016, Smith hosted an orientation for these students to introduce them to Smith, the program, and the faculty. Melanie Ashton, assistant director of the undergraduate program at Smith, raised the program’s curtain that evening by giving a quick background on how the program was started three years ago by Smith professors Rajshree Agarwal and Protiti Dastidar. Melanie then went on to introduce the faculty and student ambassadors present that evening, as well as SUSA Representative CeCe Ukejianya, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship Program Manager Chris Rehkamp, the Center for Social Value Creation champion Kirsten Craft, and the University Career Center and the President’s Promise Assistant Director Rebecca Weir. After a handful of presentations from Smith School representatives, the evening shifted into an informal networking event, in order to, as always, give the students a chance to connect with faculty and staff on a personal level.
Currently, the Smith minor program features three minors: business analytics, innovation and entrepreneurship, and general business. Tessa Trach, senior broadcast journalism major and general business minor explained the importance of having a business minor as a journalism major, in that “no matter where you work, you need to know the business that goes behind your craft. But its not just about the numbers and the data, its also about the people.” Tessa is already getting some hands-on experience with her business courses: “In my marketing class, we had to make our own website, and I finally got the chance to showcase my videos, which will look really good when I’m applying for internships and jobs.” Tessa took charge of her education and managed to synthesize her passion and the business that bellies it by combining journalism and raw management and marketing skills and putting them to the test.
Another student, Sheida Gholamimehrabadi, accounting major, and innovation and entrepreneurship minor, is looking to innovate within the field of accounting, and perhaps change the rules. While most accounting students will go with the grain, Sheida has taken charge of her career and is looking to combine her skills in accounting with her passion for creative enterprise. “I’m passionate about innovating within a company, and changing the way the company thinks and operates. Innovation doesn’t have to be huge world changes; smaller-scale innovations are just as crucial,” says Sheida.
The Smith minor program embraces the entrepreneurial spirit, even if your minor isn’t innovation and entrepreneurship. It’s more of a way of thinking, rather than a form of doing. Chris Rehkamp, the Student and Venture Programs Manager at Dingman is making sure students take advantage of their entrepreneurial potential. “There is not enough focus on the interconnectivity among people’s passions. At Dingman, we try to bring out your talents and help you apply them to starting a venture.” Chris, who has previously worked at incubators, knows exactly what it takes to transform an idea into a business.
If you look at the movers and shakers of the entrepreneurial world, you’ll find many of them hold no business degrees to boast. In fact, a lot of them are computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians, artists, musicians, doctors, and so on. But what allowed them to leverage their skillset was having a sharp, opportunistic, business mindset, and that is what the Smith minor program is set on achieving. So what are you waiting for? Pick up a minor today, and become a major influencer for the rest of your life.
For more information about minoring in business, visit the Smith minors website.
