AUM selects Smith as new College of Education dean
After a national search, Auburn University at Montgomery has selected Dr. Derrick Smith to become dean of its College of Education.
Smith has most recently served as associate dean of the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s (UAH) College of Education and professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. He joined the UAH faculty in 2008, served as the department chair from 2015 to 2018, and has served as the associate dean since 2018.
He will assume AUM’s deanship on January 2, 2024.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Smith to our campus community,” AUM Chancellor Carl A. Stockton said. “His experience at UAH, coupled with his strong record of research, teaching and outreach, make him an outstanding fit for the deanship. His familiarity with Alabama’s River Region will also be valuable in strengthening existing relationships with nearby K-12 school systems and exploring partnerships elsewhere in the state.”
Smith said he looks forward to working with faculty and staff within the college and, ultimately, helping students reach their full potential. “The AUM College of Education already has a strong reputation within the region and it is my goal to support the faculty, staff, and students to find opportunities to grow both our footprint and our impact on the health and education fields,” Smith said.
Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Faulkner University and a master’s degree in special education from UAB. He earned a doctorate in education in special education from Texas Tech University.
His publications include nearly 30 articles in refereed journals, six refereed conference papers and several book chapters. Smith has also served as a principal investigator and/or senior personnel on eight funded research and teaching grants, including projects supported by the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Education.
“I am excited about the possibilities that Dr. Smith will present as our new College of Education dean,” AUM Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Mrinal Mugdh Varma said. “We have outstanding faculty and staff within the college, and I am confident that Dr. Smith will help identify innovative ways to better serve our students and community.”
Smith also possesses K-12 experience, having served as a secondary mathematics teacher for the Alabama School for the Blind and as a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for multiple school systems.
Smith’s professional affiliations include the Council for Exceptional Children and its Division on Visual Impairments and Deafblindness, the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Visually Impaired and Blind, the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, the Computer Science Teachers Association, and Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society for Education. He was also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Visual Impairments & Blindness from 2015-2021.
In 2005, Smith was awarded a U.S. Department of Education National Center for Leadership in Visual Impairments Fellowship as well as the Helen DeVitt Jones Graduate Fellowship to attend Texas Tech. In 2008, Smith was awarded Alumni of the Year honors from UAB’s Department of Special Education, Leadership, Technology and Foundations. Faulkner University selected Smith for its Alumni of the Year award in 2013.
