Scholarship established to honor former CSC Professor

The scholarship is supported through gifts from family, friends, colleagues, and others who wish to honor Smith’s impact at CSC.

Smith, who died unexpectedly in February 2026, was a respected historian, teacher, mentor, scholar, colleague, and advocate for social equality. The scholarship reflects his commitment to serious inquiry, intellectual curiosity, thoughtful research and writing, and the use of history and the social sciences to better understand and serve communities, according to Dr. Jim Margetts, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts.

Smith joined the faculty at Chadron State in 2011 and became Professor in 2019. His research focused on Pan-African activism, post-colonial politics, and human rights. In 2018, his book, Emancipation without Equality: Pan-African Activism and the Global Color Line, was published. Smith was an engaged faculty member who served on a variety of campus committees and helped lead study abroad experiences in Cuba that connected students with the places they were studying.

The scholarship was initiated by Mark S. Martin, a current adjunct instructor and former CSC graduate assistant. Martin came to regard Smith as both a mentor and close friend and said he created the scholarship to honor Smith’s influence on students, colleagues, and the college.

“While processing the grief and heartbreak over Tom’s passing, I was struck by the fact that CSC students and the community would no longer be able to benefit from Tom’s presence on campus,” Martin said. “This scholarship has a possibility of remedying the loss in a small way because it honors Tom’s legacy and carries forward his mission and dedication to the promotion of intellectual curiosity, the causes of social justice and equality, and the pursuit of academic excellence.”

Martin said the efforts of several of Smith’s former colleagues, especially Dean of Business, Mathematics, and Science Dr. Shaunda French-Collins and Chadron State Foundation CEO Scott Kruger, helped make the scholarship a reality and they are proud it will provide meaningful support to students who reflect Smith’s commitment to academics and service to others.

According to Kruger, scholarship applicants must be enrolled at CSC and demonstrate academic promise, intellectual curiosity, writing or research ability, and a commitment to serious historical or social inquiry. Preference will be given to juniors or seniors majoring in Social Sciences, particularly students pursuing History, Social Science Education, Public History, Applied History, or a closely related area.

Additional preference may be given to students whose work involves historical inquiry, public or applied history, social justice, diverse communities and perspectives, service to underserved communities, or community impact.

The fund is structured to provide immediate scholarship support while also building a permanent endowed scholarship that will support students in Smith’s name for years to come, Kruger said.

Family, friends, colleagues, former students, alumni, and others may make gifts online or mail a gift to the Chadron State Foundation, P.O. Box 1210, Chadron, NE 69337. Questions may be directed to the Foundation at foundation@csc.edu.