Campus Features

The Smith College Historic Clothing Collection, located in the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, has its roots in the theatre department. The collection, which includes clothing and accessories dating from the 18th century, provides opportunities for scholarship across a range of disciplines, from the sciences to history, American studies and literature. Interest in the collection has grown considerably in recent years, with the 2013 symposium, "Narratives of Dress: What Can a Garment Say," drawing twice the number of attendees expected.

The MacLeish Field Station is the perfect studio for botanic sculptor Dan Ladd. Ladd, artist in residence at MacLeish, says that his work with trees and plants is “collaborative.”

When Ayla Schlosser ’09, who is Jewish, was 15 years old, a classroom discussion about conflict in the Mideast left her feeling hurt, confused, and misunderstood. Through this experience, she found that finding her voice and sharing her story not only helped to educate others, it empowered her. That is what Resonate is all about. Schlosser is the founder and executive of Resonate, which conducts workshops for women in impoverished countries to help them find their voices, tell their stories, preparing them for leadership roles in their communities. Here Schlosser—a Mary Maples Dunn scholar, who graduated with a major in political science and a minor in Spanish—talks about Resonate and her goals for the organization.

The study of Arabic at Smith is much more than simply learning how to converse in one of the most spoken languages in the world. You will also be immersed in the history, culture and art of Arab-speaking peoples. Learn why there has never been a better time to study Arabic at Smith.

Former U.S. Representative Jane Lakes Harman ’66 was just one of the notable alumnae who came to celebrate the opening of the Carol T. Christ Asian Art Gallery. Board of Trustees Chair Elizabeth Mugar Eveillard ’69 said naming the new gallery for Christ was a way to acknowledge her influence on the arts and global outreach at Smith. Watch as the former Smith president talks about her trips to Asia, how art figures prominently in a liberal arts education and what it means to be back on campus for the dedication of the gallery named in her honor.

In 2015, Smith College and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth launched the Smith-Tuck Business Bridge Program, an intensive business-skills education created for women students studying at liberal arts colleges. Learn about the Smith-Tuck experience from the participants and why they would recommend it to others.

"Every rock has a story,” says John Brady, the Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor in the Smith College geosciences department. The rocks at Smith’s MacLeish Field Station in Whately, Massachusetts, have an incredible story to tell and it begins 200 million years ago. Watch as Professor Brady explains.

Through the Design Thinking Initiative, a pilot program launched in 2015, Smith College is incorporating design thinking into interdisciplinary work across new and existing classes, and supporting student and faculty-led design projects, including campus-wide design challenges to rethink our working and learning spaces. The program brings eminent design thinkers to campus to facilitate dialogue about how gender, power and ability shape design.