Detail of the top of the Grecourt Gates in the winter

Founder’s Day

To mark the day Sophia Smith signed her will establishing Smith College and in recognition of International Women’s Day, Smith will celebrate Founder’s Day on Saturday, March 8.

Through free activities and programs across campus, we’ll come together to honor the spirit of generosity within the Smith community. Generosity takes many forms, from Sophia Smith’s original bequest to the exchange of knowledge that happens in classrooms every day, from our shared commitment to making Smith better to the countless ways alums use their education to lead change in the world.

We hope you will join us by attending an event on campus, volunteering through community service opportunities, or sharing your own story of Smithie generosity in a Little Love Story to Smith.

It is my wish that the institution be so conducted, that during all coming time it shall do the most good to the greatest number. I would have it a perennial blessing to the country and the world.

Sophia Smith

Activities

Check back soon, as more events and activities related to Founder’s Day will be added shortly.

All events and activities will take place on March 8 unless otherwise noted.

Period Product Drive

March 3–8

Various locations across campus

Smith Students for Reproductive Justice and the Office of Alumnae Relations and Development will be collecting period and personal hygiene products for donation to the Northampton Survival Center. All donations must be new, unopened, and full (not travel) sized. Drop off from March 3 to 8 at locations across campus, including the Alumnae House, Office of Student Engagement (Campus Center 106), and various student houses and dining halls.

Women & Religious Leadership Symposium

March 6–8

“New Herstories, New Perspectives”

Fifty years ago, virtually no women served as the primary religious leaders in congregations, synagogues, mosques, or temples in the US. Today, a handful of denominations have gender parity, and even those who still exclude women leaders have grassroots advocacy groups agitating for change. This symposium gathers fourteen scholars from across the country and reflects on these changes within contemporary Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. Open to the public. Registration required. Space is limited.

The Power of College/Community Collaboration

March 6, 12:15–1:15 p.m.

Jandon Center, Wright Hall 013

“The Power of College/Community Collaboration: Building an Equitable Region” with Xiomara DeLobato, chief of staff for the Economic Development Council of Western MA and a member of the Jandon Center’s advisory board. Open to the Smith community only; lunch provided. Registration required; space is limited.

Explore Meridians in the Archives

March 7, 4–6 p.m.

Neilson Library, third floor atrium

Meridians Quigley Fellow Rinal Dahhan ’27 will present a number of archival materials selected to showcase the journal’s history and milestones.

Smith College Museum of Art

11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Explore and enjoy four floors of art (for free!), including a display of art entitled Women Artists in Europe: 16th–18th centuries on the second floor, as well as a contemporary artwork by Torkwase Dyson on the third floor. Plan your visit today!

Spring Bulb Show

10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Enjoy extended evening hours at the Botanic Garden of Smith College’s Spring Bulb Show on Saturday, March 8. Admission is free.

Smith College Bellringers

3–6 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to stop by the Mendenhall Bell Tower for an open house from 3–4 p.m. The bells will then be rung in quarter peals and other formats from 4–6 p.m. in recognition of Founder’s Day.

Enter Mendenhall Performing Arts Center at the Berenson Studio across from Sage Hall. Access to the ringing chamber requires climbing a short ladder.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

9 a.m.–5 p.m.

The Smith chapter of the Society of Women Engineers hosts this annual event offering a glimpse into STEM fields and demonstrating how pursuing an education or career in STEM is possible and fun! This is a free, one-day event for girls and gender non-conforming students in grades 6–8. Registration required; space is limited.

150 Years of Smith College & Northampton

Alumnae House, 33 Elm Street

Lecture: 1–2 p.m. | Reception: 2–3 p.m.

Smith President Sarah Willie-LeBreton and Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra ’96 will host “150 years later—Smith + Northampton: A History of the College’s Founding.”

In 1869 Sophia Smith was committed to siting a future college for women in her hometown of Hatfield, but just three months before her death in 1870, she revised her will, shifting the location to Northampton. What had changed her mind? What were Northampton’s “superior advantages”? And what was Northampton like in the years after the Civil War and before the first class of Smith students entered in 1875? Join Laurie Sanders, Historic Northampton’s co-director and Smith College alumna ’88, for a closer look at the important connections between Northampton history and Smith College's founding.