TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s Rising Tide Capital Campaign has surpassed $1 billion in charitable commitments toward its $1.5 billion goal thanks to a recent gift commitment of $20 million made in memory of Mark Smith, cofounder of the global telecommunications company ADTRAN. The Performing Arts Academic Center will be named the Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts, pending approval by the UA System Board of Trustees.
“We are grateful to the Smiths for what is not only an incredible legacy for their family but a lasting inheritance for our students, community and generations to come,” said UA President Stuart R. Bell. “This stunning new facility will further transform our campus, allow us to showcase our students’ exceptional talents and make UA a beacon for the performing arts.”
Fueled by four generations of love for the arts, the Smith family’s gift is primarily to honor Mark, an Alabama native who passed away in 2007. Smith grew up in a house full of musicians, and he always emphasized the importance and power of music with his family.
“Our family’s passion for the arts goes back many generations,” said Mark’s son, Clay, who made the gift alongside his wife, Cameron, and his mother, Linda, a longtime resident of Huntsville. “Music and the arts have impacted our family tremendously. They defined my father, and they helped define me. To give back to the community in this way while honoring my dad’s memory is incredibly rewarding.”
The Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts, which will connect to the restored Bryce Main housing UA’s new welcome center, will house UA’s department of theatre and dance and include four performance theatres — a black box theatre with flexible seating for 175-275, 350-seat proscenium style theatre, 450-seat venue specifically designed for dance, and a dance studio theatre with flexible space for rehearsals, recitals and smaller performances.
The state-of-the-art rehearsal and production space will allow UA theatre and dance faculty to train students in facilities equivalent to the ones in which they will be working as professionals.
“We are humbled and grateful for the generosity of the Smiths,” said Dr. Joseph Messina, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “This gift will enable us to continue to offer a high-caliber performing arts education and showcase our talented students and faculty through a world-class facility.”
The Smiths’ gift to name the center isn’t the first they’ve made in Mark’s memory. Clay, a graduate of the Culverhouse College of Business, created an endowed scholarship at UA in his father’s name in 2007. More recently, Linda and Clay also gave $1 million to name the Mark C. Smith Boardroom in UA’s newly constructed Hewson Hall.
After visiting campus and seeing the scope of the center, the family knew this was a performing arts project like no other, and they wanted to be a part of it.
“We knew, just looking at the Bryce property and the University’s plans for it, that we had to be involved collectively as a family,” Clay said. “It’s a venue that will foster artistic expression for students and facilitate the skills they need to launch careers in the performing arts.
“And, if you look at the historical relevance of Bryce Main, it is one of the most historically significant institutions in the state. To have a performing arts center adjacent to it is going to be spectacular. It’s a diamond in the rough — when the diamond gets cut and cultivated and cleaned, it’s going to sparkle and be really special not only for the University but also for the surrounding community. As a family, we’re excited and pleased that we can help be a part of this magnificent project.”
The Smith family’s gift was integral in pushing UA’s Rising Tide Capital Campaign over $1 billion. As of this week, more than 133,000 donors have contributed almost $1,020,000,000 to the campaign. Already, The Rising Tide has created more than 650 new scholarships and nearly 40 new faculty support funds, and it has impacted more than 500,000 square feet of space across the UA campus.
With goals of raising $1.5 billion and creating 1,000 new scholarships and 75 new faculty endowments, The Rising Tide is more than 67% to its goal a little more than five years into the 10-year fundraising effort.
Pending final approval from the UA Board of Trustees, the Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts is scheduled to be complete in 2026.
More Information:
The Rising Tide website
Contact:
Stephanie Kirkland
stephanie.kirkland@ua.edu
Contact
Stephanie Kirkland, UA Division of Advancement, stephanie.kirkland@ua.edu, 205-348-7654