Susan J. and Robert M. Smith Endowed Scholarship

Susan and Bob Smith have been active residents in the Concord community since moving to the area in 1985. Prior to retirement, Bob served as a U.S. Air airline pilot and Susan was a guidance counselor at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. Well known in their community from the many years in which they owned and operated “The Black-eyed Susan,” a local gift shop, Bob and Susan have had a strong commitment to helping and serving others.

This commitment, combined with their firm belief that education makes all the difference, led Bob and Susan to establish a scholarship endowment to echo their desire to help others by assisting them with obtaining career and educational training that would lead to a fresh start in life.

With over six years at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in counseling, Susan experienced first-hand the difference a quality education can make in someone’s life. Many of the students she counseled needed a second chance at an education or a new career in order to be successful, and Susan knew all too well that most of them needed some form of financial aid.

Today, the Susan J. and Robert M. Smith Endowment offers students the opportunity at a second chance for a good education and a new career by providing much needed financial assistance to those who need financial aid to return to school. Susan states “I never want to see financial barriers become an obstacle to obtaining a good education.” This philosophy, as well as Bob and Susan’s passion for helping and serving others, lives on through the Susan J. and Robert M. Smith Endowment.