D. Richard Smith papers

D. Richard Smith was born in Lafayette, Indiana and was a 1949 graduate of Jefferson High School. He attended Purdue University and graduated with a degree in history in 1953. While a graduate student he was the assistant director of the Purdue Musical Organizations (PMO) during 1955-56; and graduated with an M.A. in 1957. He had also been active in the PMO as an undergraduate. He received his PhD in Speech - Theater from Purdue in 1960. Smith then moved to Michigan State University for post-doctoral work. Prior to completing his Ph.D., he served as a consumer relations specialist for Murray Corporation of America in 1958.

His first academic position was as a faculty member at Albion College as an assistant professor of speech. He held this position until 1962 when he took the position of assistant director of the Purdue Fort Wayne Regional Campus. He was also a professor of general studies from 1962 to the mid-1970s. In 1965 he was appointed Director and then Dean and Director from 1968-1970.

Later Smith would transfer to the main West Lafayette campus, where he would work as the Assistant to the Vice President for Regional Campus Administration and Dean of Continuing Education. During this time he was also an examiner-consultant to the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; chair of the Program Development Committee of the State Universities Telecommunications Coordinating Council; Coordinator of the Equal Employment Opportunity Program of the regional campuses; a member of the advisory council of Black Student programs; and a member of the Advisory Committee on Collective Bargaining in Higher Education. Later he served on the President’s Advisory Council on Retirement from 1995-1998.