Women for the World: The Campaign for Smith
President Carol Christ has said many times that Smith is a private college with a
public conscience. Every day, our students are taught to use what they learn
in the classroom to confront the challenges of the day—to be active, involved
citizens. It is what Sophia Smith envisioned when she founded Smith with the
hope that by providing a college education to women their power for good
would be “incalculably enlarged.”
Today, Smith is using its greatest asset—women’s education—to meet one of
the world’s greatest needs—more women leaders. This is a vision that is
resonating deeply with young women. This year, we received 4,341
applications for the class of 2016; that is the largest number of applications in
our history. Our admit rate of just 40 percent made this the most selective
admission year since records were kept. This is a justifiable point of pride, and a
profound reflection of the caliber of our students and the influence that Smith
continues to have among young women seeking a unique, high-quality
education that meets their expectation of being globally educated for a
lifetime of leadership.
Through curricular innovations like our nine academic concentrations, which
range from archives to book studies to social justice, and our Centers for
Engagement, Learning and Leadership, we are exposing our students to
different cultures and new ways of thinking that broaden their world view.
But we can—and must—do more. In that spirit, we have launched Women for
the World, an ambitious campaign to re-imagine the liberal arts for the twentyfirst century and position Smith as the college of choice for smart, ambitious,
and talented women from around the world.
To accomplish this goal, we must make Smith more accessible, so we have
made financial aid our highest and most urgent priority. As we all know,
education provides a pathway to a better life, yet far too often young women
are derailed from this path by one simple obstacle: cost. Through the
campaign, we will increase our endowed scholarship funds by $200 million. This
will strengthen the foundation of the college’s financial aid program and help
us to not only create a more diverse and international student body but also
ease the burden on families struggling to make ends meet while supporting the
dreams of their daughters.
From inside and outside the classroom, Smith will be transformed. Our
curriculum will become more global in scope and ambition. The programs we
offer students will be more connected to the world in all its possibilities and
challenges. We will expand opportunities for students to engage in meaningful
work with faculty, making research and inquiry the focus of our open
curriculum. Perhaps most importantly, Smith will become known everywhere as
the pre-eminent source of women leaders in the world. Our promise is this:
every woman who graduates from Smith will feel empowered and
emboldened to lead in a breadth of venues with strength, confidence,
creativity, and a deep awareness of her value.
There is a place for you in our plans, as well. Your support will be critical to the
success of our endeavor. Indeed, now more than ever we need you to be
engaged and supportive of the college that gave you so much and helped
shape and make you the woman you are today. You can help us in three
important ways:
• Be our voice in the world. Whenever you can, spread the good word about
Smith, one on one and in the networks and organizations in which you
participate. This is one of the most effective ways you can help Smith maintain
its reputation as the leading liberal arts college for women in the world.
• Embrace our community. Reach out to your classmates, attend Smith events,
visit campus and talk to a student. More importantly, use the Smith alumnae
network. It is vast and strong and the best evidence of the real value of the
Smith experience.
• And, lastly, invest in Smith. Your gift, no matter its size, allows us to accomplish
our ambitious goals and ensures that we are able to offer any talented, smart,
and ambitious young woman who seeks a Smith education the financial aid
she needs to succeed and grow into the leader she was meant to be.
Yes, our goal of $450 million is ambitious, but there is no choice. We must reach
high, because the need for more women leaders in the world is urgent.
Throughout history, we have seen the incredible things that can be
accomplished when Smith women rally together around a cause of great
significance. Today, for us, that cause is women for the world, and Smith is the
movement that will once again lift society by improving women’s lives and
ensuring that women—their voices, their ideas—are present in places where
they were previously absent.
This is an exciting time for Smith, and I ask that you join me in supporting
Women for the World: The Campaign for Smith.
Together, let’s show the world the power of Smith women.
Thank you!