Former BMCC President Joshua L. Smith Creates Faculty Development Fund

Dr. Joshua L. Smith, the fourth president of Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY), led the College through its construction when it moved to lower Manhattan in 1983. His contribution enabled BMCC to continue its evolution as an institution of higher education. Most recently, Dr. Smith made a generous gift of $25,000 to fund the Dr. Joshua L. Smith Faculty Development Fund at BMCC.

 

“BMCC cannot significantly improve student success—our highest priority—without strong, visible, and pervasive faculty leadership, particularly pedagogical leadership.” said Karrin E. Wilks, BMCC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Dr. Smith’s generous gift will support our collective commitment to developing the theory and practice of pedagogical leadership at BMCC, as we strive to be the very best we can be.”

 

“The importance of faculty development today cannot be overstated,” said Philip A. Keefe, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving in the BMCC Office of College Development. “Professors face a growing array of changing roles and responsibilities that require them to engage in ongoing professional learning. This generous donation will make it possible for BMCC to support professors as they grow and adapt to the changing environment of today’s community college.”

 

The Dr. Joshua L. Smith Faculty Professional Development Fund will enable BMCC to provide faculty with strategic teaching and learning opportunities such as pedagogical workshops led by guest educators who are renowned in their fields, and panel discussions. Faculty development themes that could be addressed include high-impact teaching practices, academic mindset, blended-hybrid-online learning, adaptive learning and faculty mentoring.

 

“I would like to thank Dr. Smith for his continuing generosity and support of pedagogical excellence at BMCC,” says Doris R. Holz, Vice President of Development and Chief Operating Officer of the BMCC Foundation.

 

As the College’s fourth president, Dr. Smith oversaw the construction of the BMCC campus in downtown Manhattan. Cited by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of the most influential figures in higher education in the 20th century, he is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at the School of Education, New York University.

 

Upon leaving BMCC, Dr. Smith served as Chancellor of the Community Colleges of California, overseeing 107 colleges and 1.2 million students. He taught at City and Baruch Colleges before joining the faculty at NYU, and as a member of the Board of Overseers of Regent College of the University of the State of New York, he was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of Regents College. Dr. Smith also served in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot in the Strategic Air Command. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston University and a masters and doctoral degree from Harvard University.