Reed Smith

— Biography from the 2022 Fall Commencement program —

Dr. Smith received his BS degree in Telecommunications (1972) from Ohio University, his MA in Speech (1973) from Bowling Green State University, and his PhD in Mass Communication (1993) from Ohio University. He joined the faculty at Georgia Southern in Fall 1994 as a tenure track Associate Professor, earned tenure, and progressed to the rank of Professor of Communication Arts. Dr. Smith taught a broad range of courses, including audio and video production, news and sports reporting and writing, film analysis and the Honors Seminar. He introduced multiple courses into the Communication Arts curricula, including broadcast announcing, media ethics, and electronic news gathering. In all his courses, Dr. Smith sought to inspire students to raise their level of achievement and to deliver quality work. Many of his former students are employed in broadcast and journalism positions across the United States, while others are working in academe, the ministry, or in businesses that utilize their communication skills. Dr. Smith served as the Multimedia Communication's Sequence Coordinator and internship coordinator, co-launched the campus TV channel, and began the program's alumni advisory board and a scholarship fund. He has authored two journalism biographies and coauthored an announcing textbook that is currently utilized internationally. Dr. Smith has also published multiple journal articles, as well as a nationally recognized monograph. For a number of years, he served on the Board of Directors of the American Journalism Historians Association and served as book review editor for American Journalism: A Journal of Media, multiple department, college, and university committees, and History. Dr. Smith served or chaired launched Georgia Southern’s Faculty Commons organization (a division of Cru), which brings together campus faculty and staff for Christian fellowship. The Department of Communication Arts is deeply grateful for Dr. Smith's excellence in research, teaching, and service to the Georgia Southern University students and community, and it is for these many contributions, he has earned the title of Professor Emeritus of Communication Arts.*