Smith Receives $51 Million Bequest to Support Financial Aid, Faculty

Smith has received a $51 million planned gift for endowment support of financial aid and two faculty positions in engineering and statistical and data sciences. The bequest intention is from an anonymous alum from the class of 1979.

The alum said that increasing financial aid “will allow young women from all economic backgrounds to realize their biggest dreams for educational opportunity, permitting them to make a difference in their local communities, in their nations, and in the advancement of humankind worldwide.”

In addition to financial assistance, the donor’s generosity will fund two faculty positions in engineering and statistical and data sciences. “In an age in which it is more important than ever for women to excel in technology, especially in the fields of engineering and computing,” the alum said, “it is crucial to endow a leading educational institution like Smith College and to benefit women’s contributions in the STEM fields.”

Announcing the future bequest to the community, President Sarah Willie-LeBreton noted that “the generosity and care Smith alums have for future generations of Smithies is incredible to witness. By making a commitment to both faculty and financial aid, this alum is securing the college’s future in an important, public way.”

“Scholarships light the path to Smith for so many remarkable, high-achieving students,” Willie-LeBreton said. “Access matters and a bequest of this magnitude is an affirmation of Smith’s commitment to access, affordability, and equity.”

Smith offers one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country, meeting the full need of every enrolled student, and awarding over $100 million annually in scholarships and grants. In 2021, Smith eliminated loans from its undergraduate financial aid packages for those students receiving institutional need-based aid, replacing those funds with institutional grants.

Joanna May, vice president for enrollment, noted that Smith is a leader in the movement to create educational access and opportunity. Sixty-seven percent of current students receive institutional financial aid, 18% receive federal Pell Grants and 17% are first-generation college students.

“Smith’s financial aid commitment strives not only to provide access to Smith, but to remove barriers to the Smith experience for current students, and ensure access to post-graduation opportunities without the burden of packaged student loans,” May said. “The generosity of this alum will help support our current students as well as future students, opening doors for many more talented Smithies.”

Gift planning has a long history at Smith. In fact, the college was established through the generosity of Sophia Smith in 1871. Her wish, as stated in her will, was for the college to be “a perennial blessing to the country and the world.” Sophia Smith’s generosity began a rich tradition of alums and friends supporting and transforming the college through their estate plans.

The college’s Grécourt Society recognizes all those who have named Smith as a beneficiary of their will or other estate plan. Their gifts are designated toward all aspects of the college, from financial aid to professorships to unrestricted support.

Kathleen Johnson ’72, chair of the Grécourt Society, said of the new $51 million bequest, “this incredible bequest intention and the collective impact of planned gifts are a powerful reminder of the strength of the network of over 54,000 Smithies.”