ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ is strengthening its commitment to excellence in liberal arts education thanks to a recent $5 million gift from Doug ’85 and Ann Smith. This generous contribution supports the university’s Bold & Gold 2027 strategic plan and its innovative three-school framework by establishing the Douglas I. and Ann U. Smith Endowed Deanship in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“The opportunity to endow the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences resonated with me greatly,” said Doug. “The heartbeat of ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ is a liberal arts education, and much of what I have achieved in life, I can attribute to my ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ experience. My professors and fellow classmates pushed me to reach new heights, leaving me with tools that were much greater than just mere knowledge. My liberal arts education gave me the ability and the confidence to look at issues from all sides, to formulate and defend my own opinions and to adapt and embrace change.”

As the university continues to build upon the recent launches of the School of Business and Leadership in 2023 and the Creative School in 2024, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences remains central to a ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ educational experience. Not only does it create a rigorous environment for classroom instruction in the sciences and humanities, it also opens the door for students to gain transformational real-world experience that prepares them for lives of purpose and impact. This dynamic is modeled by the school’s inaugural dean Bridget Gourley, whose academic work blends groundbreaking research and hands-on student involvement. Her work, like the work of her colleagues, embodies the possibilities present throughout the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ’s three schools require collaborative and visionary leadership to ensure the schools provide experiences that prepare students to be leaders in our rapidly changing world,” said Dave Berque, vice president for academic affairs. “By supporting the deanship in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Doug and Ann Smith have made an enduring investment in leadership for the future, ensuring the college will benefit both students and faculty for generations to come.”

The Smith’s recent donation carries on their longstanding commitment to service and partnership. For nearly three decades, Doug has occupied important roles of institutional leadership. He joined the Alumni Board in 1996, he joined the Board of Visitors in 2004, and he joined the Board of Trustees in 2010, serving as its chair from 2022 to 2025. The Smiths have also consistently contributed to the Annual Fund, previously making sizable gifts to support projects such as the restoration of the East College grounds, the Roy O. West Library renovation and improvements to South Quad student housing.

“Ann and I have seen firsthand the powerful outcomes of philanthropic giving,” said Doug. It’s an outlook that he attributes in large part to the influence of his own parents. “My father was the first person in his family to graduate from college, and the fact that he even went to college was the result of his friends in Highland, Ind. planting that seed and ROTC paying his tuition. He has never forgotten how education transformed his life and how important it is to pay it forward and give others a helping hand.”

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ is grateful for the Smiths and their commitment to securing a future in which every student will continue to experience a world-class liberal arts education. Their gift represents a crucial step toward the $575 million goal set forth in the university’s recently launched Bold, Gold & You! campaign.

“I call ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ my fountain of youth,” said Doug. “When I walk the campus, the energy and optimism of the students is contagious, sparking so many wonderful memories. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ was a transformational experience for me and I feel an obligation to give back to an institution that has given me so much.”