- June 17, 2026
- By Sala Levin ’10
Robert H. Smith ’50 was a famed D.C.-area builder, and his wife, Clarice, a celebrated artist. Their twin passions are imprinted across the University of Maryland campus, on the business school and performing arts center that bear their names and in the scholarships and programs there that they supported.
Now their son, David Bruce Smith, has made a new $10 million bequest on behalf of the family’s foundation to continue their legacy in advancing the performing arts and business education at Maryland.
The funds, split evenly between his late parents’ longtime interests at UMD, will establish the Robert H. Smith Do Good Endowed Professorship in Business Leadership, Technology and Societal Impact, and the Robert H. Smith Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Business and Innovation, in addition to other support for the business school. At The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the gift will enhance its productions and programming initiatives.
The arts and business, said Smith, “polish one another in the same way that my mother and father complemented each other.”
His family’s latest philanthropy is part of Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless, which is raising $2.5 billion to expand access to UMD’s world-class education, accelerate groundbreaking research and unite a global community to Do Good.
The Smith family is one of the largest benefactors of the Smith School, University Libraries and the College of Arts and Humanities, which includes The Clarice, the Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library, the latter two of which are named for the Smiths’ late daughter. Their generosity also established faculty chairs, funded scholarships for hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, and pioneered other initiatives across the campus.
"You can't tell the story of the University of Maryland without the story of the Smith family, just as thousands of students, scholars and artists wouldn't have a home on campus without the landmark structures and institutions bearing Robert H., Clarice and Michelle Smith’s names," said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. "We are incredibly grateful for their immense, multigenerational support, now stewarded by their son, David Bruce Smith."
A real estate developer and philanthropist, Robert H. Smith led the Charles E. Smith Companies, founded by his father, to become one of the region’s biggest commercial and residential developers. One of his most significant professional accomplishments was spearheading the development of Crystal City, Va. Clarice Smith was known for her portraits, still lifes, landscapes, florals, stained glass, and equestrian and sporting scenes. Her work was exhibited at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Kreeger Museum in Washington, D.C., along with other galleries across the U.S. and abroad, including London, Paris, Zurich and Jerusalem.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Robert H. and Clarice R. Smith Family Foundation and to David Bruce Smith for their continued investment in the Smith School,” said Robert H. Smith School of Business Dean Prabhudev Konana. “This generous gift enables us to expand an innovative portfolio of programs that serve thousands of students, shape future generations of leaders and support impactful research. This commitment not only sustains a tradition of excellence but also ensures the Smith School remains at the forefront of academic research and business education amid significant uncertainty driven by intelligent machines and global realignment.”
The new Do Good endowed professorship will allow, for example, a faculty member to explore work at the intersection of entrepreneurship and the public good. Possible areas for research include how AI might enhance transparency and accountability, sustainable business models and inclusive economic growth. The faculty fellowship will provide recognition to a junior faculty member who pushes the Smith School forward in innovative ways.
For 25 years, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center has shaped the trajectory of theater, dance and music at the University of Maryland and beyond. The gift will support its groundbreaking productions, artist commissions and innovative programming initiatives, enriching opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community.
“The Smith family was integral to the founding of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and Clarice’s artistry and commitment to community remain inspiring to us all. Their legacy of philanthropy and support for the arts at UMD has been steadfast and ongoing,” said Terry Dwyer, executive director of The Clarice. “This gift helps to secure The Clarice’s future as a collaborative center of excellence in performance, community impact and boundless creativity. All of us at The Clarice are immensely grateful.”
A crown jewel of the university, The Clarice is home to artists and scholars who engage in meaningful scholarship and dynamic creative practices.
“We celebrate and nurture creativity everywhere—from classrooms to stages, studios to community spaces,” said Stephanie Shonekan, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. “We are so appreciative of this gift that will expand opportunities to think critically, expand empathy and explore what it means to be human—skills that matter now more than ever.”
The gift reflects Clarice Smith’s appreciation of the role of the arts in culture. “The humanities are a very good way of communicating,” said David Bruce Smith. “You can’t have a well-rounded education without the arts.”