In college, most students have that one professor they will always remember. Whether it’s because they offered a helping hand in a time of need or had an unusual way of teaching, that professor becomes a permanent fixture in that student’s memory.
For Dr. Lindsey Smith, a three-time graduate of The University of Alabama, the professor who “changed the trajectory of her life” was Dr. Utz McKnight, an associate professor in political science and the chair of the Department of Gender and Race Studies.
“Dr. McKnight asked me one day if I’d considered graduate school rather than law school, and maybe afterward, a PhD,” she said. “Few people in my family had gone to college, and definitely no one had gone to graduate school, so that wasn’t even on my radar.”
With support from her husband, who she also met at UA, and family Lindsey went on to complete three degrees at the Capstone, including a bachelor’s in 2009, a master’s in 2016 and a PhD in 2018. One additional form of support? Utz McKnight.
“Dr. McKnight’s commitment to education is also to the holistic person,” Lindsey said. “It was not uncommon that Dr. McKnight would pay for students to eat lunch, help them get books or try to find them a job or a place to live,” Lindsey said. “He really shows his human side as a professor, and his work really invests in other people.”
When it came to giving back to UA, Lindsey knew immediately that she wanted to honor the professor who had made such an impact in her education and her life.
And so, on Christmas Eve 2020, Lindsey and her husband pledged to create the Dr. Utz McKnight Gender and Race Studies Endowed Support Fund.
“I wanted Dr. McKnight to be able to have access to funds and use them however he saw fit,” she said. “My dad died right before I started this fund, so I also asked people to donate to this fund in his honor. To be able to think of it as handing a young student an opportunity to better their lives and to give faculty who have a proven track record of supporting students more tools to fully support students is what I hope to be able to do.”
Bettering the world is just one outcome of Lindsey’s generosity that she hopes springs from this endowment. As a younger alumna at just 36 years old, Lindsey said it is crucial for recent graduates to seriously think about how they choose to use any extra money they may have.
“My husband and I both worked hard to get where we are, but a lot of people work really hard,” Lindsey said. “Our needs are met, so for us, a value that’s very important is to make sure that other people have opportunities to enjoy and live full lives.”
As a political science professor at Green River College, located roughly 25 miles outside of Seattle, one of Lindsey’s goals is to not only give back to the Capstone, but to nurture and cultivate relationships between her students, Dr. McKnight and the state of Alabama.
“I currently have a handful of students at Green River College who are interested in going to Alabama for a master’s program,” she said. “For a kid from Seattle, it sounds really scary to go to school in Alabama. But I know Dr. McKnight will take care of them and protect them.”
“I think my exposure to so many different types of students changed my perspective,” Lindsey said. “I was in a sorority in undergrad and had a pretty conventional life. Seeing how many students have unique needs on campus was really illuminating, whether they’re homeless or maybe fleeing abuse. Even now in Washington, a lot of my students are first-generation college students. Just knowing that even $1,000 can impact their lives is important.”
And it’s not just about establishing networks of students across the country. As Lindsey said, Utz continually goes above and beyond for the students he already teaches at UA.
“During the pandemic, Dr. McKnight started a support fund for his grad students,” she explained. “That was one of the inspirations for creating this endowment, because he did it to cover the gap a lot of grad students had from losing their jobs or being cut off from resources. He was helping pay rent and buy groceries.”
Utz’s positive effect on Lindsey’s life will continue to impact students for years to come.
“He changed my life completely, but you could also probably find thousands of students who would say the same thing,” she said. “When you make a gift to a fund like this, you’re bettering the reputation of the state, you’re bettering the scholastic ability of The University of Alabama and you’re nurturing faculty who work hard to make sure that sons and daughters who come here feel supported, loved and cared for, as well as get a really good education.”
Click here to contribute to the Dr. Utz McKnight Gender and Race Studies Endowed Support Fund.
