Education is a precious thing

It took him 16 years of studying part time on nights and weekends while working full time and raising a family to complete his engineering degree at UB, but Felix Smist, B.S. ’65, of North Tonawanda, N.Y., kept at it. To honor his father and help students who experience similar situations, Felix’s son James Smist, B.S. ’80, and his wife, Mary, have established the Felix Smist Scholarship at UB with their gift of $30,000.

The Felix Smist Scholarship will pay the tuition, for up to six years, of a part-time student in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

James Smist of McLean, Va., is president of Dean & Company, a management consulting firm that works with CEOs and senior management on the national and international corporate levels. He was five years old when he attended his father’s graduation from UB.

“My father’s example made me realize that education is a precious thing,” James said. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from UB in 1980. He says that, although his career developed outside of that field “the systematic thinking process and quantitative capabilities that I learned in that program have had continuous use for me.”

For James and Mary Smist, the gift benefits the school and the students while “also honoring my father’s commitment to education. This seemed like a great way to accomplish both. We believe the scholarship will encourage students.”