Nobel Prize winner donates money to University of Missouri

The MU professor that won a Nobel Prize plans to donate his money to the University of Missouri.

George Smith, the recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, announced Tuesday night that he will donate his prize money, of more than $243,000, to support students in the College of Arts and Science.

The university said the gift marks the start of Mizzou Giving Day. The annual event runs from noon Wednesday until noon Thursday.

MU and the UM system also contributed funds, raising the total to more than half a million dollars. That contribution includes $200,000 from MU and the UM system through the Missouri Compact Promise & Opportunity Scholarship program and $100,000 set aside by MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright for student scholarships.

Cartwright also announced a new tradition where the university will set aside this amount of money for scholarships every time a faculty member wins a Nobel Prize.

The announcements came during an event at Jesse Hall where Smith and others reflected on their time during Nobel Week in Sweden.

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