Jim Smist, BS '80 and Mary Smist

Jim Smist, BS ’80 and Mary Smist established the Felix Smist Scholarship Fund in honor of Jim’s late father, Felix Smist. Felix persevered to complete his mechanical engineering BS in 1965 from UB, after 16 years of part-time study. During this time, he worked full-time and raised a family. As such, the Felix Smist Fund pays up to six years of tuition and gives preference to part-time students in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Jim Smist who received a bachelor of science degree, summa cum laude, in chemical engineering from UB, earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is president and co-founder of Dean & Company, a management consulting firm that works with large and small corporations. Jim was the recipient of the 2012 SEAS Dean’s Award and the 2017 Samuel P. Capen Award, one of the UB Alumni Association’s most prestigious awards.