GREENEVILLE – Dr. David Smith, who has dedicated most of his career at Tusculum University to serving students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, was recently chosen to participate in a nationwide cohort to further develop his leadership skills.
Dr. David Smith
The Council for Opportunity in Education picked him as a member of its Executive Leadership Institute for this year. Dr. Smith, who serves as executive director of TRIO programs at Tusculum, has attended one session in Kansas and will reconvene with his group in March in Washington.
“This is quite an honor for me professionally and a recognition of the caliber of TRIO programs we have established at Tusculum,” he said. “I am grateful to be selected and thank Tusculum for supporting my participation with this excellent national organization. I look forward to using the enhanced skills the institute will provide me to work with our excellent TRIO team and further elevate the quality of our programs.”
COE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the expansion of college opportunities for low-income and first-generation students as well as students with disabilities. The council collaborates with colleges, universities and agencies to help low-income students enter college and graduate. Its membership includes more than 1,000 colleges and agencies.
The institute provides exemplary college access and success professionals with the opportunity to engage in lectures, workshops and facilitated exercises designed to strengthen their leadership skills at state and institutional levels.
The curriculum includes:
- Effective leadership, communication and negotiation strategies
- Team-building
- Increasing and leveraging strategic capital on college campuses
- Influence on state and federal policy to advance the interests of low-income, first-generation students
“Making connections with researchers who directly impact the advancement of issues pertinent to disadvantaged student populations will help me better understand environmental and legislative factors that inhibit low-income and first-generation students from enrolling in higher education,” Dr. Smith said. “This information will be valuable in helping all of us who work in TRIO programs at Tusculum serve our students even more effectively.”
Dr. David Smith, wearing the suit in the foreground, participates in the institute in Kansas.
TRIO is a collection of federal grant-funded programs that provide programs and services designed to help students in middle school and high school recognize the value of college and enroll in a higher education institution. TRIO also supports undergraduate college students with a variety of services that are designed to help them achieve graduation and consider pursuing graduate school.
Tusculum has two Educational Talent Search programs that serve middle school and high school students as well as two Upward Bound programs and one Upward Bound Math and Science program for high school students. Student Support Services assists the college students.
Students whose parents or guardians do not have a bachelor’s degree or who are income-eligible qualify for all of these programs. Additionally, SSS serves students with disabilities.
Dr. Smith said the institute cohort consists of 40-50 professionals, who are placed into smaller teams. These teams receive a case study on which they will present a proposed action plan to advocate for the situation they are addressing. Dr. Smith’s group is working on reconnecting with TRIO alumni who serve in Congress.
In addition, the institute provides further insights that help increase TRIO leaders’ knowledge about their profession. Dr. Smith said he invested some time learning more about the inner workings of the legislative process on Capitol Hill.
Dr. David Smith, left, speaks with student Shawny Humphreys about her poster at the Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science Summer Academy in 2024.
“Dr. Smith is an excellent leader for our TRIO programs and produces outstanding results in partnership with his staff members,” said Dr. David Cook, Tusculum’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. “He is held in high regard within his profession and at the university, so his selection for this prestigious group was a no-brainer. We are enthusiastic to see him apply the additional best practices he will learn so he can help the students we serve achieve their potential and fulfill their calling and purpose.”
Dr. Smith has led Tusculum’s TRIO programs since 2020. He previously served as director of SSS. He also served as associate director of Talent Search and was an academic advisor for that program. In addition, he has taught courses and was dean of students at the university.
Additional information about Tusculum’s TRIO programs is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/student-success/academic-affairs/first-gen/. Further details about COE are available at https://coenet.org/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.