Carl W. Smith, a graduate and longtime benefactor of the University, and his wife, Hunter J. Smith, pledged an unprecedented $3 million to the University's College at Wise in Southwest Virginia for the completion of the school's football facilities.
Announced yesterday by University President John T. Casteen III, the gift is the largest Wise has ever received and follows shortly after Smith's unrestricted 1997 donation of $25 million to the University's athletic department. Of that amount, $23 million went to the renovation and expansion of Scott Stadium.
Wise received the remaining $2 million, with which the school's officials began construction on its first football stadium.
"Carl and Hunter Smith have been incredible fans and supporters of our football program since its inception," said Steven H. Kaplan, chancellor of Wise. "Their generosity is unparalleled."
With the money, officials at Wise said they now will be able to add 3,000 stadium seats, a field house, lighting, restrooms and concession areas that will make the facility one of the best in the country for schools of its size.
"It's really a dream come true for us," Wise athletic director Carroll Dale said.
The school already enjoys a strong athletic and academic reputation, in part due to its past seven consecutive winning football seasons and its ninth place ranking in U.S. News and World Report's listing of the nation's top public liberal arts colleges.
"It's going to attract very strong students and players to the college," Kaplan said.
Since the school recently joined the Mid-South Conference, Kaplan said, the timing of the gift could not have been better.
A former lineman on the University's football team during the late '40s and early '50s, Smith is the founder of AMVEST Corp., an international coal mining, natural gas production and finance company based in Charlottesville.
Over the past 10 years, Smith has given several donations to Wise's athletic program. In 1994, the school honored him by establishing the Carl W. Smith Award for Excellence, which athletic officials award each year to a senior football player.
The Smiths' financial support has funded an array of past projects at the University in the schools of architecture, law, medicine, and business, as well as the Children's Medical Center and the Jefferson Scholars program.
Read More
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | YesterdayThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 4 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 4 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
