Administrative Correspondence

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Rhoten A. Smith was born in Dallas, Texas on January 17, 1921. He attended Texas Wesleyan College and the University of Texas (1940-1942) and graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas (1946). Continuing his education, Smith received a master's degree from the University of Kansas (1948) and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley (1954). From 1951 to 1968 Smith served on the faculties of Kansas, New York, and Temple Universities. He held the following positions: Instructor, Assistant, and Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Kansas (1951-1957); Professor of Political Science, New York University (1958-1961); Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia (1961-1968). For four years Smith augmented his extensive teaching and research activities by working for the Citizenship Clearing House, a privately funded national organization devoted to promoting the active participation of college trained people in the political process. Serving this group as associate director (1955-1956) and director (1958-1961), Smith participated in its research programs and in its various projects aimed at students, teachers, and political organizations. Smith also served as consultant to various governmental and political organizations. He acted as Research Associate for the Government Research Center, University of Kansas, 1946-1948; Research Consultant to the Kansas Legislative Council, Advisor to the Chairman of the Kansas Democratic Party, 1959-1960; Consultant to the Kansas Constitutional Revision Commission, 1957-1958; Chief Consultant to the Political Education Program for the Maurice and Laura Falk Foundation in Pittsburgh, 1958; Consultant to the Executive Development Program for the Ford Foundation, 1960; and Advisor to the Commission on General Education of New York Community College, 1960-1961. In 1967 Rhoten A. Smith accepted the appointment as President of Northern Illinois University. Smith's experience in both public and private universities enabled him to understand the basic rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the students and faculty members. Faced with student disruptions and a state-wide budget freeze on building construction, Smith still made several major contributions to NIU during his brief (three years) tenure as President. He established a rapport with students, initiated campus programs to promote racial justice on campus, and improved university relations with the DeKalb community and surrounding areas. In 1971 President Smith resigned to accept the chief academic post at the University of Pittsburgh. Rhoten Smith and his wife retired to Greeley, Colorado, where he died on September 6, 2003.