University of MarylandS Smith School Launches Behavioral Finance Center with $5 Million Gift
COLLEGE PARK, MD – The university of Maryland‘s Robert H.Smith School of Business announced today the creation of a new Behavioral Finance Center, fueled by a $5 million gift from H. Kent Baker. The center will support research, curriculum advancement, and student engagement in the rapidly growing field of behavioral finance.
Baker, a distinguished scholar and educator with eight postsecondary and postgraduate degrees in education and finance, alongside CFA and CMA designations, has dedicated a 56-year career to academia. Recognized by the Journal of Finance Literature as being among the top 1% of the most prolific authors in finance over the past 50 years, and ranked in the top 2% of scientists globally by Stanford University in 2024, Baker’s research has substantially impacted modern finance, notably in areas like behavioral finance, dividend policy, and survey research methodology. He is the author of 46 books and 225 peer-reviewed articles.
“One of the greatest things to me is education,and the University of Maryland has been one of the most influential institutions in my life,” Baker said,expressing his hope to “pay it forward” with the gift.
The new center builds on Baker’s longstanding commitment to the Smith School,were he previously established an award for doctoral candidates in finance in 2005 and made a transformational gift in 2025 resulting in the naming of the Linda A. and H. Kent Baker School of education at American University in memory of his wife.
The robert H. Smith school of Business, located eight miles from Washington, D.C., and part of the University of Maryland system, boasts over 70,000 alumni and offers a extensive range of business degree programs.