Photo (left to right): Jason Geiken, vice president for advancement at Arkansas Tech University. Dr. Russell Jones, ATU President; ATU Patrons Le Moyne Smith and Jawanda Smith; and Tracy Cole, dean of the ATU College of Business and Economic Development.
The Arkansas Tech University Board of Trustees voted Thursday, Oct. 24, to name the ATU School of Business the LeMoyne Smith School of Business.
Smith and his wife, Jawanda, attended the meeting in the Chambers Cafeteria West Dining Room. Once the motion was approved, they received a standing ovation from the ATU Board and attendees.
When asked about the honor, Smith said, “I’m just overwhelmed.” “It’s the highlight of my college life.”
The Le Moyne Smith School of Business designation recognizes his longstanding financial support of his alma mater.
In 2010, Smith established a $300,000 research fellowship at ATU Business School. As a result of his continued philanthropy in support of ATU, a portion of his research scholarships will be repurposed into the C. LeMoyne Smith Professorship, an endowment that recognizes contributions to the ATU School of Business faculty. Or her discipline.
Mr. Smith established a new $1.55 million endowment for the ATU Foundation in 2019. The donation went towards supporting the ATU Business School.
“(ATU) has continued to make a real commitment to our students,” Smith said at the time of the 2019 gift. “This is a place you want to come and get a good education because the faculty cares about you. The opportunities are there. You have to work and you have to make things happen. But you always know that the commitment of the faculty is there.”
After graduating from Pottsville High School, Smith enrolled at Arkansas Tech University and earned a degree in business. John Gibson (business), Dr. Herman Long (business), Dr. Allen Chaney (zoology), and Dr. Lowell Logan (biology) are among the instructors at Arkansas Tech University who made an impression on Smith. .
Smith remembers soft drinks, sandwiches, and afternoons spent with fellow students at Tech and nights spent watching Sam Handsman’s Wonder Boys basketball team defeat University of Arkansas Conference foes in Stroup Gymnasium. I remember.
He graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 1956 and taught in a K-12 school district and at Arkansas Tech University before an opportunity arose to contribute to education in the private sector.
Southwestern Publishing in Cincinnati, Ohio, employed Smith starting in 1960 to sell textbooks and other learning materials. He became president and chief executive officer of Southwestern Publishing in 1982. Smith held the position for eight years. He retired as chairman in 1991.
Smith remained connected to Arkansas Tech throughout all that time. He serves on the ATU School of Business Advisory Board and is a Trustee Emeritus of the ATU Foundation Board. Mr. Smith was inducted into the ATU Hall of Fame in 1988, receiving Arkansas Tech University’s highest honor.
For more information about ATU Business School, visit www.atu.edu/business.
