A Chorus of Gratitude: 10 Voices on 150 Years of Giving
Alum News
Students, faculty, and staff share what philanthropic support at Smith means to them
Published September 2, 2025
The success of Sophia Smith’s vision is truly inspiring to contemplate: What was once a handful of students and teachers on a hill in Northampton has grown into a network of 54,000 alums living all across the world. At every stage in this remarkable history of growth you’ll find the commitment and generosity of donors. And thanks to the multiplying power of collective giving, we’ve been able to invest in our community in significant and lasting ways.
Smith’s sesquicentennial is an opportunity to celebrate this astonishing legacy and the dedication of our alums, and to lift up the ways philanthropy continues to shape and sustain Sophia Smith’s “perennial blessing to the country and the world.”
To acknowledge the college’s tremendous gratitude for our donors, I asked 10 people on campus—three of them alums themselves—to share what philanthropy at Smith means to them. Their answers form a joyful chorus.
1. “Financial aid is a surefire way to make sure that Smith continues to be a hub of new ideas, new connections, and innovations.”
2. “Financial support has given me the time to explore the vast research opportunities Smith has to offer. Studying circadian rhythms in Alzheimer’s disease in Professor Mary Harrington’s lab is helping me cultivate skills I’ll use not only in my senior honors thesis, but in my future career.”
3. “When women step up and support other women that messaging is powerful. It makes our students feel valued and models a critical component in executing the mission of Smith College.”
4. “Smith’s 140-plus student organizations rely on support from our fabulous alums—and it makes such a difference to our students! Your generosity strengthens bonds, builds leadership, and shows our students that they belong at Smith.”
5. “From the renowned Smith College Museum of Art to the new Smith Office for the Arts, we work to make the arts accessible to all. We could not do so without our cherished donors, who understand the critical role that the arts play in the lives of so many students—no matter their major.”
6. “So much of our work in the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability (CEEDS) depends on the generosity of donors. It allows students and faculty to collaborate and deepen their scholarship around today’s critical environmental problems.”
7. “Philanthropic support for career development has allowed us to expand in-demand skills and training and employer site visits, grow student-alum engagement programs, and build the beautiful new Kathleen McCartney Hall for the Lazarus and Wurtele centers. Thanks to our donors, we can offer leading-edge career opportunities to all of our students.”
8. “As a faculty member since 1999, I have experienced how philanthropy delivers the resources we need to stay at the top of our fields and infuse our classrooms with hands-on learning opportunities. I am also grateful for our alums’ support of Meridians as we celebrate its 25th anniversary at Smith.”
9. “Philanthropy makes an enormous difference to the quality of our teaching and course offerings, the satisfaction of our faculty and staff, the beauty and accessibility of our campus, and the opportunities offered to Smithies to develop their whole selves. Every gift—no matter the amount, the timing, the channel, or the designation—contributes to that quality, that beauty, and that development. More important still, it places our donors within a broader community of reciprocity and care.”
10. “Thanks to the confidence and generosity of Smith alums and other supporters, we steward an unparalleled historical collection—housed in a world-class building—and make it accessible to a global research population. The work we do together fortifies the free exchange of ideas and information now and for generations to come.”