Many of you have probably come into contact with one candidate for Person of the Year. His name is Mark Smith and he is the interim dean of students here at Rensselaer.
Smith has been here for 15 years, beginning in June of 1986. As dean of students, he is responsible for a wide variety of things including academic issues, personal issues, greek life, minority student affairs, disabled student services, and international student support services. He is also involved with IPAC and judicial inquiries at Rensselaer.
The biggest part of Smith’s job is "to solve problems," he said. He "gets involved with students from middle school ’til after they graduate school."
In the past, Smith taught high school chemistry and biology and college-level chemistry and mathematics. He also collaborated with teachers and college faculty to design instructions for academic and summer programs in science and mathematics curricula.
He has worked in both private and public schools and feels that’s very important because there is a great difference between the way private schools—like Rensselaer
—and public schools are run.
Smith received his B.A. from Northwestern University and also attended SUNY-Albany and SUNY-Cortland.
Smith enjoys most the general environment of the Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff, he said. He enjoys how RPI is a very positive community and how when he comes into work "no two days are ever the same."
If Smith could change something about Rensselaer, he said he would improve the culture and environment of the school. He thinks it is good now, but it could be better. Also, he said it would be ideal if every student who enrolled at Rensselaer graduated from here as well.
To vote for Smith for Person of the Year, keep an eye out in The Poly later in the semester for more details.
