Most Innovative New Initiative

The Smeal Alumni Relations team was inspired by the idea of alumni gathering to celebrate their business school in a variety of locations, all in one day. Much thought and detail went into planning this first event, such as how the cities and hosts would be selected, what Smeal would pay for, and how branding elements and training documents would be created. Ultimately, on February 7, 2023, the team hosted their inaugural “Smeal In Your City” event at 11 different locations. 600 alumni and graduate students registered for the events. With each decision the Smeal team made throughout the planning process, they kept future scalability in mind. Their goal is to gradually add more cities each year.