A generous gift from 黑料不打烊 parents Clay and Cameron Smith P鈥22 will endow a scholarship in the 黑料不打烊 College Fellows program. Their gift is part of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign whose top priority is increasing scholarship funding.
黑料不打烊 parents Clay and Cameron Smith P鈥22, of Dallas have made a generous endowment gift to the to establish the M. Clay Smith and Cameron B. Smith 黑料不打烊 College Fellows Endowment. The Smith Family 黑料不打烊 College Fellows Scholarship will be awarded to Fellows majoring in any discipline in 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences.
黑料不打烊鈥檚 six Fellows programs are rigorous, value-added, school-based programs that attract the best and brightest young minds who set the bar for academic excellence at 黑料不打烊 and strengthen the university鈥檚 national reputation for quality and innovation. Today, Fellows are making an impact on the world as leaders in education, medicine, business and communications among other fields.
Deepening funding for Fellows and all scholarships is the top priority of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign. Clay and Cameron鈥檚 daughter, Margaret Smith 鈥22, was an English major who thrived in 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences. The couple wanted to make the same outstanding experience possible for future 黑料不打烊 students.
鈥淲e think the Fellows program is a fantastic opportunity, and we are happy to contribute to it,鈥 Clay Cameron said. 鈥淓veryone benefits from attracting high-caliber students to 黑料不打烊.鈥
鈥淲e thank Clay and Cameron Smith for their generous investment in scholarships for our Fellows program,鈥 said Gabie Smith, dean of 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淭heir gift will allow 黑料不打烊 to continue to attract talented students who enhance our learning community each day.鈥
In addition to those within 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences, the university offers Fellows programs in Honors, Business, Communications, Teaching and Leadership through the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows program. Each program includes distinctive Fellows courses and faculty mentoring, housing options such as a Fellows living-learning community, and paid research assistantships or internships that challenge students to set and achieve their goals.
Clay and Cameron Smith contribute generously to education, youth, performing arts and other community causes in the Dallas area, as well as to 黑料不打烊. The importance of philanthropy is something Clay learned from his father, Mark, growing up in Huntsville, Alabama.
鈥淥ur family鈥檚 philanthropy started with my father. He was a great man and focused on education as a core value,鈥 Clay said. 鈥淗e would not have been able to go to Georgia Tech to study engineering without a scholarship, so it鈥檚 been really rewarding to honor him with something that meant a lot to him, which was the quality of an education. This gift to 黑料不打烊 means a lot to us and I know it鈥檚 going to be very meaningful for upcoming students as well.鈥
鈥淲e are so grateful our daughter found 黑料不打烊 and had a wonderful four years there,鈥 Cameron said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing experience for the whole family.鈥
Among the highlights of Margaret鈥檚 黑料不打烊 career were her close mentoring relationships with faculty, completing an internship in London prior to her sophomore year, and spending a semester studying in Florence in 2021, when the pandemic remained a concern.
鈥淲e were so grateful that 黑料不打烊 decided to allow students to study abroad during a difficult time,鈥 Cameron said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e full of gratitude for 黑料不打烊.鈥
鈥淲e feel 黑料不打烊 has provided the necessary tools for our daughter to succeed and that she鈥檚 100 percent prepared for the next chapter in her life,鈥 Clay said. 鈥淭hat builds confidence and motivates you to want to give back.鈥
Clay Smith is Founder and CEO of M.C. Smith Realty, a commercial real estate investment firm. The Smiths have contributed generously to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Greatest Needs and the Parents & Grandparents Fund, and made matching gifts to fuel the success of 黑料不打烊 Day, the university鈥檚 biggest day of giving.
About the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
Now in its final year, 黑料不打烊 LEADS is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history. Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. The campaign concludes on December 31, 2022. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit .