Dr. David Smith will begin his tenure serving in the Office of Student Success at Tusculum in mid-January, Doug Jones, vice president of student success and athletics, announced on Thursday.
“David brings a wealth of experience serving the students of Tusculum College. He is a dedicated student advocate, and I look forward to the accomplishments we will achieve together in the Office of Student Success,” said Jones.
Dr. David Smith
At Tusculum, Dr. Smith has served in a variety of TRIO programs-related educational support initiatives. Since 2008, Dr. Smith has served the institution’s residential and adult-learner student populations as director of Student Support Services.
A native of Gate City, Virginia, Dr. Smith earned an Associate of Arts and Sciences degree from Mountain Empire Community College, where he first forged an interest in the student affairs profession. Smith continued his education at East Tennessee State University earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1995 and a Master of Arts degree in English in 1998. In fall of 2015, Dr. Smith earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Smith’s research at the University of Tennessee focused on collegiate living-learning communities and their impact on student persistence. The genesis of his research interests began at Tusculum when working to establish the Hurley Society Living-Learning Community. Smith’s research earned distinction from the Southern Association for College Student Affairs as Dissertation of the Year in 2015.
Dr. Smith said of his role as dean of students that he looks forward to furthering his service to Tusculum students by forging continued relationships across the institution’s residential student body and adult-learner population at all three campus sites. “I am blessed to have the privilege to work with a great team of professionals who seek to enrich students’ collegiate experiences, and I am excited about the opportunities we have to build the Office of Student Success.”