Dr. Rodney Smith, Alumni Achievement Award in Education
Dr. Smith received his doctorate of education degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in the area of Administration, Planning and Social Policy. His dissertation is entitled “Politic-Administrative Factors Associated with Decentralization and Recentralization in the Education Bureaucracy – The Case of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, 1986.” In addition, Dr. Smith earned a master’s degree in Education with a concentration in International Development from Harvard University, a master of arts from Fisk University in Clinical/Educational Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota.
Dr. Smith has been inducted into Chi Alpha Epsilon Academic Honor Society, Alpha Chi Chapter; Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society; and Delta Mu Delta, National Honor Society in Business Administration. He has participated in several professional development institutes, including the Millennium Leadership Institute (MLI) of AASCU, Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management (IEM), the Harvard Institute for New Presidents, Harvard Seminar on Institutional Advancement, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Management Institute for Emergency Management Planning, Preparedness, Training and Education for Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Smith has served in several senior administrative leadership positions including President of a public institution of higher education; President of a national tertiary education multi-campus system; programme coordinator of Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management; vice president with responsibility for student affairs, administrative services and planning; as well as director of strategic planning, dean of the graduate college and professor in a Ph.D. programme in Educational Management.
Dr. Smith has taught graduate courses in Educational Research and Strategy and Strategic Planning. He most recently served as the Administrative Vice President with responsibility for strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, quality service training programmes, assessment of all academic and non-academic units, university athletics (Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association), Internal Auditor and the Office of Institutional Research, (Operations Analysis and Research), and all aspects of Enrollment Management (offices of Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships, and Registrar).
Most recently, Dr. Smith served as deputy chair for the Steering Committee of the Bahamas National Development Plan and is a Council Member of the Bahamas National Accreditation and Equivalency Council. He has spoken internationally and domestically since taking office; has written several articles and is currently serving as Editor of a compilation of memories into a book on the Harvey Administration at Hampton University.
Dr. Smith has served as trustee, chair and member of several national and international boards, associations and local government committees, including the American Council on Education (ACE), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), New Jersey Department of Education Board of Examiners, New Jersey Presidents’ Council, National Association of Student Affairs Administrators, Virginia State Graduate Deans Council, Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, Hackensack Medical University Foundation, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (Chair of the Committee on Lifelong Learning and Higher Education). As appointed Chair, Dr. Smith has led several successful initiatives, including the African-American Jewish Community Relations Symposia and the New Jersey United Nations Day Celebrations. He most recently served on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Peninsula Council for Workforce Development. He also served as Trustee for Hampton Roads Academy, a private college-prep academy.
Dr. Smith attended high school at Saint Augustine’s College in New Providence. He previously served in the Ministry of Labour and was an active member of the Bahamas Association for Manpower Training and Development (BAMTAD). He also served as a Senior Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, was the country’s first school psychologist and served as President of the College of The Bahamas from 2004 to 2005. Dr. Smith was the recipient of several fellowships, including Fellowships from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).
The recipient of numerous awards for leadership and distinguished service, Dr. Smith has spoken before audiences across the United States, China, The Bahamas and the Caribbean. He was an honourary President at Dahli University, Kunming Province, The People’s Republic of China via the Sino-American Cooperative Agreement. He has served as senior advisor on international education for a United Nations-based global news network and has consulted across several institutions, including higher education university systems, while serving as a consulting member for The Registry for College and University Presidents, Peabody, Massachusetts.
Dr. Smith is married to Dr. Christina C. Smith and is the father of four adult children.
