$255,000 donation provided by Myra and Darwin Smith

91������Ʒ’s comprehensive efforts to provide engaged learning opportunities for students outside the classroom has received a significant boost thanks to a new gift from philanthropists Myra and Darwin Smith. The $255,000 donation will support expanded study-abroad experiences in countries around the world while also enhancing 91������Ʒ’s LINK Scholars Program which funds internship and cooperative education experiences for minority students.

“We are deeply grateful for this tremendous expression of generosity from the Smiths and for their ongoing support and belief in 91������Ʒ and its students,” says Cleveland State President Ronald M. Berkman.

“Myra and I are committed to promoting opportunity and advancement for all and this new gift will help students expand their horizons and improve cultural understanding while also gaining the experience necessary to succeed in their chosen careers,” notes Darwin Smith. “We are proud to partner with 91������Ʒ which has a proven track record for creating innovative learning environments that produce well-rounded, career-ready graduates.”

The gift will support five $5,000 study abroad scholarships per year for the next five years for students who participate in 91������Ʒ’s international education programs. It will also support thirteen $2,000 scholarships per year for the next five years for students participating in the LINK program. LINK places individuals in paid internships in businesses and not-for-profit institutions in the Cleveland region.

The Smiths previously provided the founding gift to create 91������Ʒ’s , the only comprehensive arts and cultural celebration of its kind in the state of Ohio. They also have made a planned gift to support engineering scholarships in honor of Darwin Smith’s father, who was a 91������Ʒ mechanical engineering graduate, as well as a planned gift to support the University’s Mareyjoyce Green Women’s Center in honor of Myra Smith’s mother.

“Through our philanthropy we have always sought to promote community development and societal understanding with the goal of making the world a better place,” adds Myra Smith. “This new gift to 91������Ʒ will build on our previous work with the university and further support its mission to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible education for the benefit of the region and nation as a whole.”

Originally from Cleveland, the Smiths reside in Dallas, Texas and Lake Norman, NC. Together, they are deeply involved in numerous philanthropic causes and have supported a number of institutions, including the Dallas Foundation and the Judson Foundation.