Dr. Walter L. Smith, author of The Magnificent Twelve: Florida's Black Junior Colleges, is an accomplished educator and public servant. Dr. Smith is a shining example of the type of opportunity adult education and two year colleges can provide. Dr. Smith was a high school dropout but received his GED when he was twenty-three. He then attended and graduated from one of the Magnificent Twelve, Gibbs Junior College in St. Petersburg. He would go on to earn Baccalaureate and Masters Degrees at Florida A&M University and his doctorate in Higher Education at Florida State University. After his time as a student Dr. Smith went on to become an accomplished educator.

 

Dr. Smith was provost at Hillsborough Community College and president at Roxbury Community College. He then moved to the university system as the seventh president of Florida A&M University. Under his leadership Florida A&M added several degree offerings including in the Allied Health field and the school's first doctoral program in pharmacology. Dr. Smith has also been an active citizen at home and abroad. With his background in community college administration, Dr. Smith was named International Team Leader for Education in the Republic of South Africa. While in South Africa, Dr. Smith helped establish the first American style community college. He would also serve as a United States Monitor of the historic 1994 democratic election in South Africa that would mark the end of apartheid.At home Dr. Smith has continued to give back. Notably, in 2002 Dr. Smith founded the Dr. Walter L. Smith Library to provide a positive space for students to gather and learn. Since 2002, the library has expanded and continues to serve the community. Through his life story and his continued service Dr. Smith continues to be a positive influence to those he has touched.

 

Sources: "Dr. Walter L. Smith Library": http://wlslibrary.org/new/."Tampa Educator to Recieve National Human and Civil Rights Award," NEA: http://www.nea.org/home/33166.htm .

 

Reference:http://libraries.sjrstate.edu/content.php?pid=339808&sid=2933051