Smith Announces Campaign

On Friday, April 30, trustees at Smith College announced the public phase of a comprehensive fundraising campaign. The campaign will raise $250 million in support of new and continuing major initiatives designed to bring the college to a new level of excellence for the coming century.

Although the campaign runs for six years, trustee and campaign co-chair Isabel Brown Wilson, a 1953 Smith graduate, announced that $126,983,391 already has been given or pledged during the so-called "quiet" phase, which began two years ago. The $250 million goal represents the largest campaign to date among liberal arts colleges, and includes the largest announced gift to a "seven siblings" college--$14 million from the Brown Foundation.

The campaign includes a full range of projects, from restoring the botanic garden's century-old glass houses to the launch of an engineering program, the first of its kind at a women's college. Additional support for financial aid, interdisciplinary programs, the Praxis internship program, a new campus center, and major renovation of the museum of art and performing arts center are also among the objectives.

The goals grew out of an intensive self-study undertaken after the installation of President Ruth Simmons, who challenged the college to envision its character in the next century. More than 200 proposals for enhancements or changes were received and reviewed by committees of trustees, faculty, students, and administrative staff. The assessment is part of Smith's mission to prepare women for life and leadership by providing the best possible liberal arts education.

Smith College, founded in 1871, is consistently ranked among the nation's top liberal arts colleges. Enrolling 2,800 students from every state and 50 other countries, Smith is the largest undergraduate women's college in the United States.

May 3, 1999