$20 million new gift opens the world: Louis and Mary Kay Smith ensure every St. Olaf student can study abroad at no extra cost
St. Olaf College has announced a landmark $20 million gift from longtime benefactors Louis and Mary Kay Smith that will open the world to generations of students by making semester-long study abroad possible at the same cost as studying on campus.
The Houston-based philanthropists, whose giving to St. Olaf has steadily expanded over the past several years, are deepening their commitment to global learning with the largest gift for academic programming in the college’s history and the second-largest gift overall.
This new investment builds on the couple’s $10.7 million commitment that created and endowed the Smith Center for Global Engagement, now the hub of St. Olaf’s extensive international and off-campus studies portfolio.
Louis and Mary Kay Smith have already transformed access to international experiences at the college, previously funding an endowed travel fund that allows St. Olaf music ensembles to tour internationally at no cost to student musicians.
They also supported enhanced financial aid for students studying off campus, laying the groundwork for the Smith Center’s mission to connect classroom learning with real-world contexts around the globe.
The couple’s latest gift turns a recent affordability experiment into a permanent promise. In 2025, St. Olaf launched a pilot that allowed every admitted student with a family income below 300,000 dollars to participate in a semester- or year-long study abroad or away program for the same cost as being on campus, driving a 30 percent overall increase in semester participation and a 70 percent jump among middle-income families.
Witnessing how quickly cost ceased to be a barrier for students convinced the Smiths to endow a durable solution that will outlast any single cohort.
Beginning in 2027, every St. Olaf student who is accepted into a semester-long program will be guaranteed the opportunity to study abroad once at no additional cost beyond regular campus tuition, supported in large part by the Smiths’ philanthropy.
Their gift will also underwrite an expansion of offerings — including new summer programs, options that integrate internships and research, and additional January Term study abroad and away experiences — designed to match the breadth of faculty expertise and the growing demand from students eager to engage with the wider world.
For St. Olaf leaders, the Smiths’ giving represents more than a series of large checks; it is a sustained, values-driven partnership focused on global citizenship.
President Susan Rundell Singer has emphasized that international study is central to preparing graduates who can bridge cultures and tackle shared challenges, a vision now backed by resources that ensure financial means will not dictate who gets to participate.
Smith Center Director Theresa Heath notes that the couple’s philanthropy is directly fueling new destinations and themes that mirror faculty strengths, giving students more ways to align global experiences with their academic and vocational goals.
The Smiths’ generosity extends beyond St. Olaf, with their family foundation supporting educational, social service, and faith-based organizations in communities across the United States.
Yet at St. Olaf, their name has become synonymous with opportunity: thousands of “Oles” — present and future — will see the world because a donor couple decided that global learning should be a defining, and affordable, part of a liberal arts education.