Celebrating Smith’s 150th

In September of 1875, Smith College opened its doors to 14 students and six faculty members. Ever since then, we’ve been pushing the world forward in profound ways. Smith—and Smithies—have been a force for change, transforming our society, our history, and the lives and leadership of women. Smith’s impact on the greater good has been undeniable.

Read President Sarah’s letter to the community launching our sesquicentennial. 

Give to Financial Aid for Smith’s 150th

Financial aid is helping Smith sustain its founding commitment to educational access. Current students call these grants “life changing,” “transformative,” and a sign that they belong at Smith. Give before the end of the year to support these determined Smithies!

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A Look Back at 150 Years

 

150 Years, 150 Stories

Smith College has an inspiring and complex story. Over the course of the year, we collected stories of the people, places, ideas, and initiatives—some new, some taken from our archives—that provide a rich, nuanced portrait of Smith’s place in the world, its influence on culture, and the powerful ways it has evolved and responded to the big issues of the day.

Little Love Stories

The Day JFK Was Shot

Sally Beck Baker ’66 and others were comforted by the Rev. Richard Unsworth on Nov. 22, 1963.

  • Little Love Stories
  • November 12, 2025
Little Love Stories

The Building Blocks to Help Others

Beth Choi, M.S.S. ’60, valued the School for Social Work’s emphasis on action over theory.

  • Little Love Stories
  • November 10, 2025

Lessons in History

Events throughout our sesquicentennial year offered unique looks into Smith’s long history. Dive into a couple that take you all the way back to the beginning.

150 Years of Smith College & Northampton

Smith President Sarah Willie-LeBreton and Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra ’96 hosted “150 years later—Smith + Northampton: A History of the College’s Founding” on Saturday, March 8—International Women’s Day and the college’s first Founder’s Day.

Laurie Sanders, Historic Northampton’s co-director and Smith College alumna ’88, took a closer look at the important connections between Northampton history and Smith College’s founding. Watch the recording.

Celebrating 150 Years of Student Life

On display on the ground floor of Neilson Library throughout 2025, this exhibit offered a glimpse into the social, academic, and athletic lives of Smithies over the last 150 years. Check out an astronomy class from the 1800s, a protest in 1956, a dance rehearsal from 1990, and more in this exhibit curated from the Smith College Archives.

Learn more about the display.

A group of Smithies walking away from the Grécourt Gates, smiling

1968 September
Washington, D.C.-area Smith students in front of the Grécourt Gates.
Grounds subject files, CA-MS-00137, box 264.1, folder 23

Game Changer

Smith has always been a place for “Game Changers”—people who challenge the status quo and make a real difference in the world. Their stories show how one person can spark big change.

Explore more profiles of Smith’s Game Changers.

Cornelia Oberlander ’44

Cornelia Oberlander ’44 once described her fellow landscape architects as “a combination of artists, designers, choreographers, and scientists.” An art major at Smith and one of the first women to study at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Oberlander—who died of COVID in 2021—was renowned for her naturalistic designs. From beloved public spaces in her adopted city of Vancouver, Canada, to Smith’s landscape master plan in the mid-1990s, her work elevates the idea that, in her words, “people want to be surrounded by nature—it is in our genes.” The daughter of a German Jewish engineer and a horticulturalist and children’s book author, Oberlander fled with her family to England in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution. Inspired by her Smith classes in landscape design, she was determined that the college be among the first liberal arts institutions to train students in that field. Oberlander was also always ready with suggestions aimed at improving the campus landscape, according to a profile in the Smith Quarterly. Among them: “Reduce the number of lawns. Rethink the value of the pond. Show more respect for green space. Allow fewer vehicles on campus. Promote Smith as a leader in campus sustainability.”

Celebrate in Style

In honor of our sesquicentennial, we’ve put together a collection of gear ranging from mugs to T-shirts to notebooks. Let everyone know you’re proud to celebrate 150 years of Smithie magic.

Shop the 150th Collection