Biography

Dr. Vernon C. Smith is Chief Academic Officer and Provost at MyCollege Foundation, where he works to help low-income youth in America gain quality college credentials more affordably. Previously, he served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Rio Salado College, the largest public, online two-year community college. At Rio, he served as Dean of Instruction overseeing institutional effectiveness, strategic planning, accreditation, and early-college programs. As Faculty Chair for Foreign Languages, he was a pioneer in online language courses and programs, and served as Faculty Senate President. He has an extensive background in distance learning issues and practices, including effective assessment and retention strategies, and predictive modeling for student success.

Dr. Smith earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Latin American Studies and Spanish at Brigham Young University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He has a Master of Organizational Behavior from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Administration of Higher Education from the Center for the Study of Higher Education at The University of Arizona.

Dr. Smith's research interests include high-quality, cost-effective production models for online courses, the unbundling and re-bundling of the faculty role, adjunct faculty issues, academic integrity, and teaching and learning. He has served on the membership and data working groups for Transparency by Design, a national higher education accountability initiative, and currently serves on the board of EDUCAUSE.

Dr. Smith has received the Dolores Brown Award from Arizona AATSP, Administrator of the Year Hallmark Award from Phi Theta Kappa, and has been recognized for outstanding teaching, presentations, and service including the Homer Sarasohn Award for Meritorious Service.

EDUCAUSE Involvement

Publications

Chapter 8: Scaling Up: Four Ideas to Increase College Com ...

EDUCAUSE Publications

May 2012

Presentations