The one night members of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business family know they can’t miss is always the school’s annual Monte Carlo Night Gala. The 13th annual celebration brought together nearly 700 full-time MBA, part-time MBA, EMBA, and MS students; alumni; faculty; and staff for an evening of dancing and casino gaming on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
In the spirit of “Terps Helping Terps,” proceeds from ticket sales go to support a merit-based scholarship fund and Monte Carlo Night has become an important part of the Smith experience. Described by Chengyu Shen, former President of the Smith Master’s Student Association, as maybe “the most magnificent night during your time at Smith,” the event originally started in 2002. Monte Carlo night is about fun but it also benefits the M. Scott Lamana and Eric Cranford Memorial MBA Fellowship Fund that remembering the part-time Smith MBA students who perished in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon.
“Smith is often characterized by the strength of its community and the dedication of its students, alumni, faculty, and staff,” says event organizer Caroline Anderson, MBA ’15 and vice president for signature events of the MBA Association. “For example, this year 90 percent of the full-time MBA Class of 2016 attended the Monte Carlo Gala. Additionally, there was a dramatic increase in attendance by faculty, staff, and alumni. Nothing better exemplifies the unity of the Smith community and the future of the Smith brand.”