UA Names Director of Undergraduate Advising, Student Success

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Office for Academic Affairs has appointed Adam A. Smith as director of undergraduate academic advising and student success.

In this role, Smith will develop strategic campus partnerships, alignments and systems aimed at increasing campus-wide retention and graduation rates.

Smith will also develop the new Capstone Center for Student Success that will serve as a one-stop shop for holistic academic advising for UA students.

“My wife Linda and I are excited about this opportunity to join the Alabama family,” Smith said. “We are honored to join with our students, faculty, staff and alumni to work to ensure all students are successful at UA and beyond.”

Smith served as assistant vice president for student success at the University of Akron, Ohio, where he successfully developed advising and retention strategies. Smith’s efforts led to increased retention and graduation rates among diverse student populations.

Before his time in Akron, Smith served as director of education and life-long learning for Mayor Lawrence J. Morrissey in Rockford, Illinois; as director of college activities and outreach at Rock Valley College in Illinois; and founded successful TRiO Programs and community-based organizations in Illinois and Wisconsin. Smith coached college football for six years and served as adjunct faculty at Judson University in Illinois, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in human services, human resources and organizational leadership.

Among his professional experiences, Smith credits his time as a community organizer in the first cohort of AmeriCorps national service as the foundation of his worldview.

Smith has a bachelor’s degree in theology from Concordia University-Wisconsin, a master’s degree in educational administration from National-Louis University and has taken classes beyond his masters at The University of Akron.