Funding a high-quality Wichita State education is easy. Just get admitted; and if
you're eligible, we'll send you an automatic scholarship offer. Don't forget about
other scholarship and financial aid opportunities. You could qualify for some of the
$100 million+ Wichita State awards each year. In addition, many of our out-of-state
students are eligible for in-state or reduced tuition.
Wichita State University has selected two recipients for the Richard D. Smith Scholarship,
the university's largest scholarship award. Sallie Longwell of Valley Center, Kansas,
and Caroline Love of Norfolk, Nebraska, will receive more than $80,000 over four years.
The 2026 recipients of the Smith Scholarship have been active in their schools and
communities.
Sallie Longwell
Valley Center (Kansas) High School
Sallie Longwell plans to study pre-nursing at Wichita State and has been active throughout
all four years of high school, participating in the dance team, marching band and
Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She also served as drum major for multiple years
and is a member of the National Honor Society, SADD/SAGE Team and Health Occupations
Students of America.
Longwell serves as senior class president for student council and was named Valley
Center Fall Festival Junior Citizen of the Year. She volunteers in her community and
church while balancing a part-time job.
“To say I am blessed is an understatement,” Longwell said. “This scholarship is truly
the opportunity of a lifetime, and I could not be more grateful to the Richard D.
Smith family. I am thrilled to attend Wichita State, to get involved on campus and
to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse.”
Caroline Love
Norfolk (Nebraska) Senior High School
Caroline Love plans to study music theatre at Wichita State and has been active for
four years in high school choir and show choir. Her honors include being named Outstanding
Freshman, Sophomore and Junior, as well as earning Best Soloist at the Nebraska Choral
Directors Association Jazz Festival in 2025. She has also served as the soprano section
leader for multiple years.
In addition to music, Love has participated in theater all four years of high school,
performing in 10 productions and lettering each year. She received an Outstanding
Performer Award annually and was named Best Newcomer in 2022. She also served in the
student council and was a member of the National Honor Society.
“Being able to call myself one of the Richard Smith Scholars has made my dreams feel
even more reachable,” Love said. “Having the opportunity to come out of college debt-free
is beyond the best of words! I am so blessed to be able to continue my passion for
musical theater at Wichita State and cannot wait to learn, have the best of times
and create long-life friendships!”
In 2022, a bequest from Richard “Dick” Smith’s estate gifted $5.5 million to Wichita State with the intent that it funds scholarships to cover all college-related expenses,
including tuition, fees, books and housing, with awards open to undergraduates in
any field. Smith was a longtime Wichitan and the founder of Range Oil Co. He died
in 2021.
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling
more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences
and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more
than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered
and innovation-driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in
the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),
Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of
applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering
R&D, No. 2 for industry- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 overall for
engineering R&D.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one
of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing
over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
