University of Missouri professor George P. Smith recently won the Nobel Prize in chemistry and the students rallied the administration to make the prize even sweeter by giving George what he really wanted which is his own bike rack by his office. Now he’s returning the favor by donating his $250,000 prize to the University! The biology professor emeritus is known as being “a kind and modest genius” around campus, so it’s only fitting that he’s donating his quarter million to launch the Missouri Nobel Scholarship Fund for students in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Smith says his first degree was actually a bachelor of arts, not science, and he credits his liberal arts education as “the springboard for a lifetime of learning and cultural engagement.” Now he wants to pay it forward so other liberal arts students can enjoy the same educational experience.
And the news gets better. The University of Missouri System says they will match the gift, rounding it up to half a million dollars! University of Missouri Chancellor Alexander N. Cartwright says, “Time and time again we have been overwhelmed by George’s incredibly humble attitude, and today we are amazed even further by his spirit of generosity.”