Sherman Smith family pledges $1.5M for engineering scholarships at OSU

Friday, April 20, 2007

University officials have announced that a number of engineering students will receive full-tuition scholarships at Oklahoma State University thanks to a gift from the Sherman Smith family.

“I am delighted to announce that the Sherman Smith family is pledging $1.5 million to establish the Sherman Smith Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide full-tuition scholarships for qualified students in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology,” said interim OSU System CEO and President Marlene Strathe. “Mr. Smith was honored as a Hall of Fame inductee by OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology in October 2000. We owe him and his family a huge thank you for what they mean to OSU.”

The scholarships will be administered under the umbrella of the Dean Karl Reid CEAT Scholars program, an endeavor that prepares select engineering students for business and community leadership. The Sherman Smith Scholars will be chosen based on the criteria and application process to become a CEAT Scholar and receive the same professional development and national and international travel opportunities afforded CEAT Scholars.

“Sherman Smith is among our most distinguished alumni, a group that includes engineers who have influenced entire industries and society in executive leadership positions as much as through their technological innovations,” Reid said. “It’s appropriate that the Sherman Smith Scholars join our program, which is developing the next generation of people who will use engineering education to make a lasting impact.”  

Smith joined SerDrilco Inc., an independent oil and gas company with offices in Tulsa and Borger, Texas, in 1949 after earning a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at Oklahoma A&M College. As its president and chairman, he developed a strong image in the industry through steady, conservative management. Smith, who initiated workers’ safety and drug testing programs years before they were commonplace, became legendary for his regard for his more than 200 employees.

Smith has been named a “Living Legend” by the Panhandle Producers and Royalty Owners Association in Amarillo, Texas, for being a pioneer in the independent oil and gas industry. He also received the “Smith Family Tribute” from the International Society of Energy Advocates in Tulsa in 2000 for his family’s three generations of contributions to the industry.