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CSULB
professor nominated for position on CSU
board
By
Molly Haupt
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
Cal
State Long Beach's film and electronics
arts department Chair, Professor Craig Smith,
is preparing to extend his duties from catering
to the needs of his department to representing
a much larger group of people. Smith has
recently been nominated to become a faculty
representative on the Board of Trustees
for the California State University system.
With
much background in department directing
and political experience, Smith is used
to managing responsibilities and multitasking.
During
his time as interim chairman for the comparative
literature and classics department on campus
in 1999, Smith provided the department with
a constitution, facilitated its change in
name and curriculum and consolidated its
part-time positions into full time positions.
He
also served as the interim chairman of the
journalism department in 1997, has joint
appointment as professor of Communication
Studies and was the department chair from
1989 to 1994, and currently serves as the
department chair of the film and electronics
arts department, as noted on his resume.
With
extensive leadership experience as head
of many CSULB departments, Smith is knowledgeable
about the duties required to represen the
students and staff of CSULB.
To
prepare for this role, he has been "engaging
in shared governance, honoring the knowledge
of the First Amendment, and listening to
the concern of my colleagues," he said.
And,
according to one CSULB colleague, Smith
listens very well.
"I
feel Dr. Smith is an exceptional department
chair," said Davinia Thornley, an assistant
professor in the Film Department. "He
is deeply invested in, and encouraging of,
the progress of all of his colleagues."
Thornley
also noted that Smith has improved the department's
reputation not only throughout the College
of the Arts on campus, but within the Hollywood
and Los Angeles community.
Besides
serving as chair of numerous departments,
Smith's resume details his many ventures
into other areas and fields.
He
has been the Associate Editor for the Western
Journal of Communication, the Quarterly
Journal of Speech and the Journal and Communication
of Religion.
He
is a campus Academic Senate member, the
Director of the Center for First Amendment
Studies, was elected to the Statewide Academic
Senate of the CSU system two years ago and
has served as vice chair of the Fiscal and
Government Affairs Committee.
Beginning
his higher education at the University of
California, Santa Barbara, Smith earned
his bachelor's degree there in 1966 and
earned his master's at the City University
of New York, Queens, in 1967.
He
then accepted his doctrine at Pennsylvania
State University in 1969 and returned to
California to serve as an assistant professor
at San Diego State.
Besides
teaching at San Diego State, he was a professor
at the University of Virginia and very involved
in developments at the University of Alabama.
He
has also been involved in politics. He served
on the National Republican Senatorial Campaign
Committee, where he was the Deputy Director
in 1981, and has written speeches for former
presidents George Bush'and Gerald Ford.
"He
has extensive knowledge and experience in
politics, and is one of the most recognized
scholars in First Amendment Studies,"
said Donald Para, Dean of the College of
the Arts. "He would be a marvelous
choice for a faculty representative and
I support his nomination completely."
Smith
is one of two nominees, the other being
Kathy Kaiser of CSU Chico.
The
appointment will be made after the governor
interviews the nominees.
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