Partner in Focus: Smith College

“Audacity, Agency, Authenticity.” These values represent the essence of Smith College and a way of life for its entire campus community. Smith’s boldness, leadership, and influence have never been more relevant and meaningful than in the face of a pandemic.  This moment gives deeper reasons to reflect on Smith’s lofty goals, great investments, and remarkable generosity over the years and especially during this time of unprecedented challenges.

Like so many institutions across the country, Smith adapted to a fully remote teaching model when the pandemic disrupted the spring 2020 semester and students were sent home. The disruption at Smith created many challenges, including a $35 million budget gap for the 2020-21 academic year.  This led to departmental budget cuts; over 200 staff furloughs when few students were on campus in the summer and fall; a hiring freeze except for essential positions; increased spending from cash reserves; increased withdrawals from the endowment; voluntary salary reductions of up to 20% by President Kathleen McCartney and members of her cabinet; and other measures to adjust to the impact of the pandemic.  

Smith also moved quickly and invested heavily in health and safety by partnering with local public health entities and health care providers to support both the campus community and the community at large, on top of addressing enormous financial hurdles and developing remote teaching systems. The college also covered the cost of ongoing COVID screening for its on-campus students and employees, paid the employee share of health insurance premiums for furloughed employees, offered on-campus housing to students who had no ability to travel home in the fall while the college was in remote mode and offered on-campus space to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for any emergency needs. These swift actions were costly but aligned with Smith’s mission and core values. 

Under the stellar leadership of President McCartney, Smith has prevailed through the pandemic and achieved many noteworthy accomplishments as well.  Such strong results continue to distinguish Smith as one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the world and include the following:

• Received its largest gift ever last October – $50M from an alumna who wished to remain anonymous. 
• Completed the largest capital project in Smith’s history –the renovation of the Neilson Library which opened in March 2021. (We will feature the spectacular design of the Neilson in a future article once the library is available to the public.)
• Received a record number of applications – 6,064 – for the Class of 2025 (as of February 19^th).
• Welcomed nearly 1,200 residential students (53% of Spring 2021 enrollees) back to campus, along with 305 off-campus students – a goal achieved by a carefully orchestrated plan that met all public safety guidelines.  The remaining one-third of the 2,237 enrolled students are studying remotely from outside the immediate area.  
• Hired its first Chief Investment Officer in bringing the management of its $2B endowment, one of the largest in the nation, in-house to customize investment strategies to fit specific needs and give Smith greater direct control over its largest financial asset.

Since students have returned to campus this spring, Smith has reinstated all furloughed employees to regular employment except for one employee who was on a partial furlough.  Smith also set up a dedicated clinic and administered 629 no-cost vaccines to the campus community with priority given to high-risk individuals via the City of Northampton’s Public Health Department.  Another clinic will be set up later this month to provide second doses.

With restrictions being lifted, Smith will hold an on-campus, in-person commencement for all graduating students on Sunday, May 30^th.  Families and friends will be invited to join in the celebration virtually.  Smithies around the world are also being invited to participate in a series of live and recorded reunion events June 3^rd – 6^th. And finally, plans are underway to welcome all students back to campus for in-person learning for fall 2021 with the appropriate level of pandemic precautions.

As a keystone in Northampton, Smith has maintained its commitment to important investments that contribute to an improved quality of life in the community.  Last summer, Smith was a leading contributor to GNCC’s Community Revitalization Fund that provided microgrants of up to $5,000 to small businesses when the economy started to reopen. Also, Smith is in its second year of a three-year pledge of $90,000 annually to the Downtown Northampton Association (DNA) and is halfway through a $100,000 pledge to Safe Passage, a local non-profit that provides free services for those facing domestic violence and relationship abuse. Any of these projects could have been canceled by Smith as it dealt with its own financial crisis. However, Smith’s leadership and generosity as an institutional citizen speaks to its high regard for the broader community.

Smith also provided aid and new investments during this period of unprecedented crisis.  To assist Northampton Public Schools with their physical distancing and reopening plans, Smith loaned the school system 200 desks. And just last month, Northampton’s Mayor David Narkewicz announced Smith’s generous pledge of $200,000 for the Community Resilience Hub for the city’s most vulnerable residents.  This support from Smith put the City in a position to begin the due diligence to consider real estate options for the hub.

Putting the spotlight on Smith College does more than point to the institution’s challenges and successes, but also demonstrates the high degree of transparency and collaboration across its campus, alumni network, and the local community.  We are honored that Smith has been a Chamber Partner since the inception of the program 20 years ago. 

GNCC is especially grateful for the support of several of Smith’s talented leaders who provide countless hours of volunteer and board leadership service to the chamber.  Currently, Jim Gray, Associate Vice President of Facilities and Operations, serves on the GNCC Board of Directors and the Chamber’s Finance Committee.  David DeSwert, Vice President for Finance and Administration, is the immediate past president of the GNCC board.  Also, Sam Masinter, Associate Vice President for College Relations, serves as a board director for the DNA.

Throughout the pandemic, Smith College has remained true to its purpose, mission, and values. GNCC appreciates its partnership with Smith in fostering a thriving economy and community.  We are also proud to celebrate Smith’s legacy of educating and empowering women. We invite you to stay informed about the news, activities, events, and thoughts from President McCartney’s Letters to the Community on the Smith College website.