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Smith College
Motto: EN THI APETHI THN ΓΝΩΣΙΝ - To Virtue Knowledge
Established: Charted in 1871; opened its doors in 1875
Type: Private women's college
Endowment: $1. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group The date of establishment or date of founding of an Institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point For the film of this title see Private School (film. Private schools, or Independent schools are Schools not administered A financial endowment is a Transfer of Money or Property donated to an Institution, usually with the stipulation that it be invested The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 361 billion[1]
President: Carol T. Christ
Faculty: 285[2]
Undergraduates: 2,600[2]
Location: Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
Colors: white, blue, gold
Mascot: Pioneer
Website: smith.edu

Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. University president is the title of the highest ranking officer within a University, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as Carol Tecla Christ (born in New York City in 1944 is the president of Smith College. A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had In some Educational systems undergraduate education is Post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelor's degree. Northampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the School colors are the Colors chosen by a School to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification The term mascot – defined as a term for any person animal or object thought to bring Luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Unlike Public universities, private universities generally do not receive direct operational funding from national or subnational governments and thus rely on private An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local Government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges gifts and Liberal arts colleges in the United States are institutions of Higher education in the United States. Northampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters are seven liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States that are historically women's colleges.

Smith is also a member of the Five Colleges consortium, which allows its students to attend classes at four other Pioneer Valley institutions: Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Five Colleges comprises four liberal arts colleges and one University in the Connecticut River Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts Pioneer Valley is a region consisting of the three counties that the Connecticut River passes through in Western Massachusetts, and especially those towns Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Amherst College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The University of Massachusetts Amherst (otherwise known as UMass Amherst, Massachusetts, or UMass) is a research and Land-grant university in This provides a unique exception to the women only at undergraduate level, as men attending any of the Five Colleges are allowed to attend classes at Smith and Mount Holyoke, and are admitted to 95% of all available classes with the main exception being team sports. Additionally, although Smith only considers female applicants for undergraduate admission, it will award diplomas to transgendered students who have become male since admission. [3] Smith is also known for its socio-economic and sexual-orientation diversity and recent efforts to attract more students of color have been reflected in the increased diversity of incoming classes. [4][5][6]


Contents

History

The college was chartered in 1871 by a bequest of Sophia Smith and opened its doors in 1875 with 14 students and six faculty. Sophia Smith ( August 27, 1796 in Hatfield Massachusetts - June 12, 1870) founded Smith College in 1870 with the substantial [7] In 1915-16 the student enrollment was 1,724 and the faculty numbered 163. Today, with some 2,750 undergraduates on campus, Smith is the largest privately endowed college for women in the country. [8] The campus was planned and planted in the 1890s as a botanical garden and arboretum, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Botanical gardens grow a wide variety of Plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes An arboretum is a collection of trees Related collections include a fruticetum (from the Latin frutex, meaning shrub and a viticetum a collection of vines Frederick Law Olmsted ( April 25, 1822 &ndash August 28, 1903) was an American landscape designer and father of American The campus landscape now encompasses 147 acres (0. 6 km²) and includes more than 1,200 varieties of trees and shrubs.

Smith has been led by 10 presidents and 2 acting presidents. For the 1975 centennial, the college inaugurated its first woman president, Jill Ker Conway, who came to Smith from Australia by way of Harvard and the University of Toronto. Jill Ker Conway (born 9 October 1934) is an Australian American author best known for her autobiographies, in particular her first For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. This article is about the University of Toronto's St George Campus Since President Conway's term, all Smith presidents have been women, with the exception of John M. Connolly's one-year term as acting president in the interim after President Simmons left to lead Brown University. Brown University is a highly esteemed private University located in Providence, Rhode Island and is a member of the Ivy League.

Academics

Smith College has 275 professors in 37 academic departments and programs, for a faculty:student ratio of 1:9. Carol Tecla Christ (born in New York City in 1944 is the president of Smith College. It is the first and only women's college in the United States to grant its own undergraduate degrees in engineering. Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and The Picker Engineering Program offers a single Bachelor of Science in engineering science, combining the fundamentals of multiple engineering disciplines. A Bachelor of Science ( BS, BSc or BSc in the UK; less commonly S Picker students who maintain an overall GPA of 3. 5 and a GPA of 3. 5 within the major are automatically admitted to graduate study in engineering at Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, and the University of Michigan. Dartmouth College ( is a private, Coeducational University located in Hanover, New Hampshire, U The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research

Smith recently joined the SAT optional movement for undergraduate admission. Liberal arts colleges in the United States are institutions of Higher education in the United States. [1]

The Ada Comstock Scholars Program is a bachelor's degree program for non-traditional students. Ada Comstock was a pioneer in women in Higher Education Ada Louise Comstock was born in Moorhead Minnesota in 1876 A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and Non-traditional student is an American English term referring to students at Higher education institutions ( Undergraduate College or University

Smith also has special one-year graduate programs for international students. One such program, the American Studies Diploma Program, was founded by Daniel Aaron during the early 1960s, the height of the Cold War, to serve as a counterweight of international misunderstanding and violence. American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Students can design specialized majors and minors with the approval of the college and related departments. Individuals may also enroll as nondegree students by registering for one or more courses.

Smith runs its own junior year abroad (JYA) programs in four European cities. These programs are notable for requiring all studies to be conducted in the language of the host country. In some cases students live in homestays with local families. The programs are located in: Paris, Hamburg, Florence and Geneva (students in the Geneva and Paris programs study in French). Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Nearly half of Smith's juniors study overseas, either through Smith JYA programs or at more than 40 other locations around the world.

Graduate degrees and study options

Smith's graduate programs are open to both men and women. Each year approximately 100 men and women pursue advanced graduate work at Smith.

The Smith College master of social work (M. S. W. ) degree is nationally recognized for its specialization in clinical social work and puts a heavy emphasis on direct field work practice. The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE is the national association for Social work Education in the United States of America. The school also offers a Ph. D. program designed to prepare MSWs for leadership positions in clinical research education and practice.

The college has a limited number of other programs leading to Ph. D. s, and is part of a cooperative doctoral program co-administered by Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Amherst College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts. Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The University of Massachusetts Amherst (otherwise known as UMass Amherst, Massachusetts, or UMass) is a research and Land-grant university in

Traditions

Colors and mascot

Smith College does not have college colors in the usual sense. Its official color is white, trimmed with gold, but the official college logo is currently blue and yellow (a previous logo was burgundy and white). NCAA athletic teams have competed in blue and white (or blue and yellow, in the case of the soccer, crew, swimming, and squash teams) uniforms since the 1970s, and selected Pioneers as the official name and mascot in 1986. Popular club sports are free to choose their own colors and mascot; both Rugby and Fencing have chosen red and black.

Smith has a rotating system of class colors dating back to the 1880s, when intramural athletics and other campus competitions were usually held by class. Today, class colors are yellow, red, blue and green, with incoming first-year classes assigned the color of the previous year's graduating class; their color then "follows" them through to graduation. Alumnae classes, particularly at reunion, continue to identify with and use their class color thereafter.

Residential culture

Smith requires all first-year undergraduate students, as well as most other undergraduates, to live in on-campus houses. This policy is intended to add to the camaraderie and social cohesion of its students. Unlike most institutions of its type, Smith College does not have dorms, but rather 36 separate houses, built in the style that was popular during the time they were constructed. (A popular rumor perpetuated by students and Smith College Gold Key guides is that Sophia Smith stated in her will that each house be constructed in the style of the period; this is, however, only a rumor. ) The campus also boasts a botanic garden that includes a Japanese tea house, a variety of specialty gardens including a rock garden, and historic glass greenhouses dating back to 1895. It is rumored that the staircase in Chapin House was the inspiration for the one in Tara in Gone with the Wind. This is about the 1936 American Novel. For the film see Gone with the Wind (film Gone with the Wind is a 1936 American (Margaret Mitchell went to Smith for one year and lived in Chapin House. Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell Marsh ( November 8 1900 – August 16 1949) popularly known as Margaret Mitchell was an American )

A novelty of Smith's homelike atmosphere is the continuing popularity of Sophia Smith's recipe for molasses cookies. These are often served at the traditional Friday afternoon tea held in each house, where students, faculty and staff members and alumnae socialize. [2]

Smith has a "substantial lesbian population. "[9] Smith offers "panel discussions and seminars for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students on subjects such as coming out as transgender at work. " [10] In 2003, Smith students voted by a very slim margin to remove pronouns from the language in the Student Government Association constitution, as a well-meaning gesture of support toward transgendered students who didn't identify with "she" and "her. "[11]

Academic year events

"Convocation" signals the start of the fall semester. For some students, the annual, often rowdy, event is an occasion for celebration and an opportunity for creative attire (or as little attire as they can get away with. ) House communities develop imaginative themes for group fashion, and Smith seniors put special touches on favorite hats to create their own unique "senior hats," to be worn for the first time at Convocation.

Mountain Day is a tradition borrowed from Mount Holyoke College and is observed early in the fall semester. The President of the College selects a crisp, sunny, beautiful autumn day when the leaves are in full color, and announces the cancellation of classes by having bells rung on campus at 7:00 AM on the chosen day. The eager anticipation of Mountain Day leads to intense speculation and an abnormally high interest in meteorology by students in the weeks leading up to the surprise announcement. Traditional observance of Mountain Day by students might involve New England road trips or outdoor pursuits, and college dining services provides box lunches to be taken off-campus. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the (Other students take the opportunity to catch up on their sleep!)

Otelia Cromwell Day, named for Smith's first African-American alumna, began in 1989 to provide students with an in-depth program specifically addressing issues of racism and diversity. Otelia Cromwell ( April 8, 1874 - April 25, 1972) is the first African-American graduate of Afternoon classes are cancelled, and students are invited to participate in lectures, workshops, symposia and cultural events centered around a different theme each year.

In February 1876, the College began an annual observance of George Washington's birthday. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the In 1894, a rally became part of the day's events, and the focus of the celebration became primarily patriotic rather than exclusively social—though always with a women's college twist. Students that year staged a mock debate on the subject, "Does Higher Education Unfit a Man for Domestic Life?" In 1906 the celebration was first referred to as Rally Day (although the name was not used officially by the College until 1992). In 1944, seniors made Rally Day the first public wearing of their graduation caps and gowns; since then, mortarboards have been replaced by wacky, often homemade hats. Today, the Rally Day Convocation is centered around a historical theme, and features a distinguished keynote speaker and the awarding of Smith College Medals to accomplished alumnae.

Rally Day is observed in the Spring; an all-college gathering honors distinguished alumnae, and a musical is held depicting life at Smith.

Reunions and Commencement events

The Alumnae Association of Smith College hosts official class reunions every five years, plus a special two-year reunion. All alumnae from all classes are welcome to return in any year; "off-year" alumnae attend campus-wide events as the "Class of 1776. "

Traditional reunion and Commencement events are linked, and celebrate the close ties between Smith's alumnae and its graduating seniors and their families. At the conclusion of final exams, most underclasswomen leave the campus, while seniors remain in their houses for a week to celebrate and prepare for Commencement. Alumnae arrive for reunions later in the week, and many alumnae arrange for official accommodations in the campus houses, right alongside senior residents.

Ivy Day
Ivy Day

Ivy Day, the day before Commencement, is the high point of reunion and a significant event for seniors as well. Junior ushers lead a parade through campus, carrying vines of ivy to be planted by the departing seniors as a symbol of their lifelong connection to the college. Alumnae (and, often, their children), dressed in white and wearing sashes in their class color, line up in reverse order by class along both sides of the route. Seniors line up nearest the end of the parade route, wearing traditional white outfits and each carrying a single red rose. All cheer each alumnae class as it marches past, then fall in to join the end of the parade. Many alumnae classes carry signs with humorous poems or slogans, or hold balloons or wear hats in their class color. Ivy Day festivities conclude in the Quad, where the seniors plant their ivy and speakers address alumnae on the progress of fundraising and the state of the college.

Illumination Night, beginning at dusk on the Saturday evening before Commencement, is a celebration of the campus and a send-off of sorts for graduating seniors. Throughout central campus, electric street lights are replaced for one night by multicolored Japanese-style paper lanterns, lit with real candles. These hang on both sides of every walking path and cast a soft glow over the buildings and lawns. Student acapella singing groups and improv comedy troupes roam the campus, stopping occasionally to entertain the crowds. A jazz band, hired by the college, turns the science buildings' courtyard into a dance floor. Seniors, alumnae, faculty and their families spend the evening on walking tours of the illuminated campus and Botanic Gardens. The Botanic Garden of Smith College is located on the campus of Smith College, in Northampton Massachusetts, USA. The major official event of the night is the Senior Step Sing: seniors gather on the steps of Neilson Library, where they are serenaded by members of the Sophomore Push committee, then are physically pushed off the stairs and "into the real world. "

Until the early 1990s, all alumnae reunions were held during Commencement weekend. However, as the number of returning alumnae grew beyond the capacity of the campus, reunions were split into Reunion I/Commencement Weekend and Reunion II, held the following weekend. "Significant" reunions (50-, 25- and 10- year, but also 2-year) and the earliest reunion classes (65-year and prior) are assigned to Reunion I; other reunions (5-, 15-, 20-, 30-year, and so on) are assigned to Reunion II.

Campus folklore

Smith has numerous folk tales and ghost stories surrounding the campus and historical events.

One such tale holds that Sessions House is inhabited by the ghost of Lucy Hunt, who died of a broken heart after being separated from her lover, General Burgoyne.

Another tale tells of a girl who haunts the basement of one of the houses near the river, after a tunnel which led down to the pond collapsed as she was sneaking out to meet a lover.

Yet another tale describes the accidental death of a girl who sneaked out her bedroom window to meet a boyfriend, some how fell into a hollow column supporting the portico of her dorm, and suffocated.

One campus legend surrounds the 'whispering woman' who makes circuit calls to students' dorm rooms and calls each room one by one down the entire hall. Students sometimes exploit this legend and pull pranks on their unwitting friends by calling them and talking in a gravelly mysterious voice.

Notable alumnae

Main article: List of Smith College people

A number of Smith alumnae have gone on to become notable in their respective fields and endeavors. The following is a list of individuals associated with Smith College through attending as a student or serving as a member of the faculty or staff Some examples include:

In 2006, 17 Smith graduates won Fulbright fellowships for international graduate study. Barbara Adams was appointed General Counsel of Pennsylvania on June 1 2005 by Governor Edward G A general counsel is the chief Lawyer of a legal department usually in a corporation or government department The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American Politician, and has been a Democratic member of the United A Member of Congress is a Politician who is a member of a Congress. Barbara Pierce Bush (born June 8 1925 is the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Julia Child (born Julia Carolyn McWilliams August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was a famous American cook, Author Margaret Edson (born July 4, 1961 in Washington DC) is an American Playwright. Julie Nixon (born July 5 1948 in Washington DC) is the second daughter of Richard and Pat Nixon and younger sister of Tricia Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 5, 2006) was an American feminist, activist and Jane Harman is also a pseudonym of the British author Terry Harknett. Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins ( August 30 1944 &ndash January 31 2007) was a Populist American newspaper Columnist Yolanda Denise King ( November 17, 1955 May 15, 2007) was the first-born child of Coretta Scott King and Civil rights Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader Madeleine L'Engle ( November 29 1918 &ndash September 6 2007) was an American writer best known for her Young Adult fiction Catharine Alice MacKinnon (born October 7, 1946) is an American feminist, Scholar, Lawyer, Teacher and For the journalist of the same name see Ann Martin (journalist. Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell Marsh ( November 8 1900 – August 16 1949) popularly known as Margaret Mitchell was an American Sylvia Plath (October 27 1932 &ndash February 11 1963 was an American Poet, Novelist and Short story Writer. Nancy Davis Reagan (born Anne Frances Robbins on July 6 1921 is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and served as an influential Shehrbano "Sherry" Rehman or Shahrbano Rahman ( Urdu: شہر بانو رحمان)(b Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Gloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an American feminist icon Journalist and women's rights advocate Nicola "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas (ˈsɒŋgəs (born April 26, 1946 in Chico California) is the U Virginia Euwer Wolff is a prize-winning American Author of Children's literature, born in Portland Oregon 25 Aug 1937 Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939 in New York City) is an American Author and editor of almost 300 books The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of grants for international educational exchange for scholars educators graduate The Alumnae Association of Smith College considers all former students to be members, whether they graduated or not, and does not generally differentiate between graduates and non-graduates when identifying Smith alumnae.

Smith in popular culture

Bob Wallace: You don't expect me to get serious with the kind of characters you and Rita have been throwing at me, do you?
Phil Davis: Well, there have been some nice girls, too, you know.
Bob Wallace: Oh yeah, yeah. Like that nuclear scientist we just met out in the hall.
Phil Davis: All right, they didn't go to college. They didn't go to Smith.
Bob Wallace: Go to Smith? She couldn't even spell it.

Notes

  1. ^ Part One
  2. ^ a b c Just the Facts, Smith College website.
  3. ^ http://www.smith.edu/oid/gender_faq.php
  4. ^ "Smith College's Entering Class Sets Records for Selectivity and Diversity", Smith College news release, July 2005.
  5. ^ "Study of Women and Gender", Smith College website.
  6. ^ "Resources for Learning More About Gender Identity & Gender Expression", Smith College website.
  7. ^ "Sophia Smith: Smith College's Founder", Smith College website.
  8. ^ (2007) Peterson's Four-year Colleges 2008. Peterson, 2226. ISBN 9780768924008.  
  9. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/fashion/14guide.html?ei=5070&en=18b6394ffb87904f&ex=1158897600&emc=eta1&adxnnlx=1158506844-itHuIFBUwQhVQ4rUA2sNBg&pagewanted=all
  10. ^ April 8, 2007 article, Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/04/08/when_she_graduates_as_he/
  11. ^ http://www.smith.edu/oid/gender_faq.php

References

External links

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