Trustee
Honored for Gift Supporting International Initiatives
When Betty Eveillard ’69 was a student at Smith, she was drawn to classes that
had an international emphasis and spent her junior year in Geneva—her interest
in the world having been sparked by the stories of her parents and grandparents,
immigrants from Eastern Turkey, Germany, and Prussia.
Betty Eveillard ’69 (on far right) poses with President
Christ and Suleiman Mourad in the Global Studies Center,
Wright Hall. |
“I know that if I could ask them what was most important to them about their
coming to America, they would all say, in addition to freedom, was the opportunity
for education,” said Eveillard.
Their journey was the inspiration
behind her recent gift in support of international initiatives
at Smith, Eveillard explained. Her gift provides financial
aid for international students and establishes a fund to
develop and sustain a variety of global engagement programs
at the college.
On January 20, President Carol
Christ announced that the directorship of Smith’s
will be named in Eveillard’s honor.
“Betty’s generous support of our global educational initiatives is vital to our
ongoing efforts to bring the world to Smith and Smith to the world,” said President
Christ. “For years she has lent her vision and her thoughtful leadership to Smith.
It pleases me immensely that the directorship of the Global Studies Center will
bear her name.”
In a recent ceremony in Wright
Hall, home to the Global Studies Center, Eveillard told trustees,
administrators and faculty that her family’s history and her own
experiences at Smith have long fueled her belief in the power of a global education
and the important role Smith, especially, can play in preparing young women to
succeed in an increasingly complex world. "I wanted to invest in minds—women's
minds—and what better place to do that than Smith College?" she said. “My hope
is that this gift will echo far beyond this campus and into the future.”
Suleiman Mourad, professor of
religion, will be the first Elizabeth Mugar Eveillard ’69
Director of the Global Studies Center.
The Global Studies Center gathers
in a centralized and virtual location the many offices, curricular
activities and events that serve the international interests
of students, faculty and the Smith community. As a hub of
people and programs it will offer a growing array of opportunities
for global engagement to Smith students.
The Elizabeth M.
and Jean-Marie Eveillard Fund for International Initiatives
supports a range of programs, including global engagement
seminars and the Elizabeth Mugar Eveillard ’69 Global Leader in Residence,
which will bring distinguished individuals in government, diplomacy, business,
journalism, science, medicine and the arts to the Smith campus every year.
Smith
has long been recognized as a leader in international education.
Today, Smith offers 13 languages and five interdisciplinary
area and international studies programs. Faculty members
teach more than 400 courses relating to international issues.
Hundreds of Smith students study abroad each year, often
incorporating internships into their experiences, and the
student body typically includes some 200 students from 60
countries. Building on this tradition, Smith’s global educational
initiatives include increasing the enrollment of international students, enhancing
study abroad and study away programs, expanding global internships and leadership
opportunities, and fostering worldwide alumnae engagement.
The GSC shares its
home in the newly renovated Wright Hall with the Center for
the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability, and
the Center for Community Collaborations. A fourth center,
the Center for Work and Life, is housed in Clark Hall. Each
center builds on a set of distinct and historic strengths
at Smith; each addresses problems fundamental to the world
of the 21st century; and each expresses an aspiration for
the leadership Smith students will exercise in their lives
after they leave Smith.
The formation of the centers
stems from The Smith Design for Learning, the college’s strategic plan to sustain and strengthen the excellence
of a Smith education in the context of the world in which today’s students will
live and work. |
