It's very easy to apply to the Smith Scholars Program. Just download an application in MS Word format using the link above or call to request an application to be mailed to you: (785) 537-0042 or (785) 250-1490. After applying, we encourage you to visit at your convenience. When you visit, our New Man Selection Committee will interview you. We make no final decisions about accepting your application until after an interview, and will notify you of your status - at the latest - by April 1st...sometimes sooner, depends on the schedule of the New Man Selection Committee.
Don't be afraid that your GPA or ACT score isn't high enough...we also consider your personality, past achievements, future goals, and the specific qualities you can contribute to make Smith House a great place to live for everyone in it. We especially look for enthusiasm about the program.
An emphasis on high scholastic standards is fundamental to the Smith Scholars Program. In the past, Smith has frequently placed first among the top living groups for collective grade point average. You will be required to have a 2.7 GPA to enter and remain in the program.
Our scholarship chairman heads a committee to help you maintain this requirement. The committee can advise you on class selection and inform you of academic deadlines. It maintains the test files and reference library; and coordinates academic workshops and seminars that help Smith Scholars improve their skills.
To promote a conducive studying environment, excessive noise is prohibited during quiet hours, from 7PM to 7AM, Sunday through Thursday. During finals week, when studying is most intense, quiet hours are extended to 23 hours per day. During the omitted half hour break, Scholars release excess energy and eat lots of "brain food" (paid for by the Scholarship Committee) to help with late-night studying.
The house has received two Hewlett Packard computers and a printer through donations from Hewlett Packard, Smith alumni, and supporters. House software programs includes Windows 98 & XP, Microsoft Office XP, Design CAD, Turbo Pascal, CD/DVD burning tools and many others. We also have access to high-speed Internet. In addition to the house computers, each study room includes 100Mbps Ethernet jacks for all Smithies.
Smith Scholarship House operates under a cooperative system. You'll be expected to share cooking, housekeeping, and governing duties. Smith Scholars help each other with duties, homework, house events, and university/community activities. The House Manager and Kitchen Manager, Smithies paid for their services to the house, will assign your duties to fit around your class schedule and part-time jobs. Your duties, which may include cooking or cleaning tasks, will total only five to seven hours per week.
The operation of the house is mostly the responsibility of its residents. We have voluntary committees who work to improve their own intricate part of the Smith Scholars Program. By organizing a work schedule that includes everyone, Smith Scholars gain valuable management training for future careers.
Smith House has an Executive Director, Anneliese Snyder, who lives in an apartment on the ground floor and provides counseling and guidance for smooth operation of the house. The executive director and managers are hired by the Smith Alumni Association, which has governed the house since 1984.
A professional dietician is hired by the alumni association to plan meals and order food. The residents themselves, in crews of 2-4, prepare and serve the meals.
Smithies eat well and learn first-hand about cooking, which is one of the survival skills you'll need after graduation. There are three meals per day through the week and two meals per day on the weekends...for Dinner on Saturday and Sunday evenings you can go out for dinner or fix something in the kitchen on your own - a benefit not found in residence halls. The kitchen is equipped with a microwave oven so you can warm up late plates saved for you when you can't eat at scheduled meal times.
The cost to live at Smith Scholarship House will be $3975 per YEAR for the 10-11 School Year- a significant savings over all other living options at K-State!
Dr. L Irene Putnam, who established the house in 1958 in memory of her brother, Maitland E. Smith, stipulated that Smith residents would be charged only for the actual costs of operation and maintenance of the house. The Smith Alumni Association, the organization that has run Smith since 1984, does not charge the residents its own administrative costs. It subsists on alumni donations and other fundraising efforts.
Smith Scholars pay only for their food, utilities, insurance on the building, employees' salaries, and programming funds. The only other charges above room and board payments are for long-distance phone calls (each room is provided with its own phone jack and number), souvenirs of program activities, and fines for damages. Computation of these charges and receipt of payments is handled by the House Treasurer, a fellow Smithie paid by the house. Laundry facilities are available to house members at no charge (no other living organization at K-State can say that), and we even have a 50-cent pop machine!
As a Smith Scholar, you'll have opportunities to participate in the many concerts, lectures, and theater productions regularly presented on campus. You'll have access to free season tickets to events in McCain Auditorium, Nichols Theater, Purple Masque Theater, and the Little Theater. Past events have included Chicago City Limits, Amadeus, Wynston Marsalis, and David Copperfield. In 1985, Mrs. Ila King donated $4000 to establish a trust fund for Smith. The interest from the fund is used to help purchase season tickets to cultural events.
Throughout the year, distinguished guests are invited to attend dinner and give informal presentations on various topics. Deans of various colleges, cultural experts, and university/community leaders are some of the guests you could meet.
Communicating and interacting with people is a valuable skill that is developed at Smith Scholarship House. The social chairman and his committee plan and coordinate several functions throughout the year to get House members involved with the various women's organizations (Smurthwaite and Clovia Scholarship Houses), as well as the rest of campus.
These functions range from formal exchange dinners to movie marathon parties, dances, and an annual formal. Smith House is a DRY house, and thus no alcohol or containers are allowed on the premises.
Smithies parents can also get involved with the Family Weekend events held at the house, and the men also have a chance to attend Christmas Tea in the fall and the Smith-Smurthwaite Formal in the spring.
Smith has a long-standing tradition of excellence in intramural athletics. Smith House participate in team events such as football, basketball, volleyball, and softball, as well as many other individual events. Smith House has taken the All-University Independent Intramural Title for most cumulative points in 1987-88, 1988-89, 1992-93, and 1993-94.
Smith men regularly head out to the Recreation Complex, located three blocks north of campus, to indulge in basketball, racquetball, or even swimming at the Natatorium. For stress relief, many Smithies enjoy jogging around town, playing Ultimate Frisbee, or mountain biking at Tuttle Creek Reservoir.
The Intramural Chairman keeps the house teams informed of upcoming deadlines at the Rec Center, posts team schedules and standings, and orders the annual intramural t-shirts. He also has a delegated committee that enforces the no smoking policy and sponsors all sporting activities during the school year. One of these events is the New Man-Old Man ultimate game, which is traditionally held in early May.
In 2000, the men of Smith and the women of Smurthwaite competed in, and won, the co-rec championship.
Smith Scholarship House is self-governing. Elected officers manage all of the necessary functions including financial planning and mediation of any conflicts.
This arrangement has proven successful in past years and has helped to create a unique sense of responsibility. Advice and counsel on internal affairs are available from the Executive Director, but the scholars are given as much responsibility as possible.
The House Constitution and Cooperative Code covers meeting procedures, job descriptions of various officers and chairman, and the mediation of conflicts. Elections are held each semester to give more men a chance to assume leadership roles. Smithies are able to apply for leadership positions after having lived in Smith for one semester.
Along with internal leadership in the Smith Scholars Program, many Smithies have served on campus in Student Government and various organizations. Samuel Brinton - a current Smithie - is currently serving as State President of Kansas SkillsUSA! Many other Smithies, past and present, have been active FFA and 4-H members.
House meetings are typically held each Wednesday night after dinner. There is no pledge system. Every member has equal voting rights at house meetings.
A Smith Scholar who restricts his activities to what happens in the house will have a very limited view of the world. All Smith Scholars are encouraged to get involved in some campus organization, community project, or charity.
Our University Representative keeps residents informed of happenings on campus, around Manhattan, and in Student Government. The Community Service Chairman, with the aid of his committee, plans and carries out at least one community service project each semester.
At Halloween, Smithies participate in the Smurthwaite/Clovia Halloween Auction, where they are made costumes by the girls and then go trick-or-treating to collect non-perishable food items for the Flint Hills Breadbasket.
There are several other service projects taken on throughout the year!
Orientation week involves various activities which acquaint new scholars with Smith, K-State, and Manhattan before classes begin. The week begins with the "New Men" going on a scavenger hunt, and the activities culminate with the Old Man-New Man football game, which the New Men have never won. "New Man" is a term used only to designate a scholar's first week in the house; after orientation week, this distinguishing label is no longer used.
The house does NOT have a counterpart to the fraternal pledge system nor does it practice hazing, which is prohibited by the university for all organizations.
The house is notable for its diversity and we are always looking for unique individuals with which to enrich our ranks. Student majors vary from Architecture to various types of engineering, Parks/Conservation Management and Business to Agriculture. Racial and cultural diversity also thrive; several Smithies have International experience under their belt!
Our Spiritual Freedoms Policy guarantees that each resident has the right to be an individual. We accept men from all cultures and religions.
Smith Scholarship House is conveniently located only three blocks off of the K-State Campus at the corner of 17th and Fairview (331 N. 17th St.). It's very handy for Smithies to walk or bike to their classes on campus, and most classes can be reached by walking in fifteen minutes or less!
Smith has ten study rooms throughout the house, holding two to four men each. This is the place where Smithies keep their personal belongings, study, dress, watch television, etc. Each room is supplied with Ethernet (100Mbps), telephone, and cable television jacks.
Room assignments are made each semester by the President and House Manager, and residents are allowed to request roommates and/or room locations.
All the men sleep in bunks in the third floor sleeping dorm, which had heating installed in Fall 2006 for the first time ever, it's now quite cozy!
Smith House has an Executive Director, Anneliese Snyder, who lives in an apartment on the ground floor and provides counseling and guidance for smooth operation of the house. Smith Alumni also pop in from time to time to monitor and assure quality house operations.
The house practices a No Alcohol and No Tobacco Policy on house grounds.
Thinking about majoring In Chemistry? In addition to the criteria required for participation in the Smith Scholarship Program, applicants for Lambert Memorial Chemistry Scholarships must also meet minimum standards required by the Department of Chemistry for scholarship recipients. For incoming freshmen, these include a composite ACT score of at least 28, reinforced by high school GPA and class standing. For those already enrolled in college, applicatnts must qualify with an overall cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 and a minimum grade point average of 3.2, with no grade below C, in courses required by the chemistry and chemical science curriculums. Sorry, those in Chemical Engineering do not qualify.
Amount: $900/semester, or $1800/year, for as long as you meet the requirements. This scholarship would cut your living costs at K-State in HALF!!