Adam A. Smith is a nationally-recognized higher education expert with three decades of experience transforming campuses throughout the nation. He has built successful coalitions and initiatives that have increased access, retention and graduation rates at institutions from community colleges to flagship, land-grant universities.
Smith is skilled in addressing a range of audiences - students, educators, administrators, community members, and those working in corporate settings. He is both thought-provoking and motivational, providing concrete solutions for the complex problems facing society today. Currently, Adam hosts the podcast "Get Uncomfortable," focusing on issues that can divide us or bring us together - race, politics, and religion.
He currently serves as Executive Director for University Academic Advising at the University of Kentucky, where his work has helped the university achieve record-setting retention rates. He has had similar results in roles from the University of Alabama to the University of Akron. Additionally, Smith has an extensive background in community advocacy, empowerment, and development, most notably as “Education Czar” to former Rockford (IL) Mayor Lawrence J. Morrissey, while founding TRIO programs and organizing as an inaugural member of AmeriCorps.
A first-generation college graduate, Adam is committed to ensuring college access and success for all Americans and has spent his life working with young people as an advocate, mentor, leader, and empowering force. He works every day to attack the systems that act as barriers between marginalized populations, and educational and life success.
FOR CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY AUDIENCES
Ensuring Student Success In An Anti-Affirmative Action Climate
The recent Supreme Court ruling has outlawed the use of race-based affirmative action in college admissions and yet policies like legacy and big-donor admits persist. As the college-going population includes more Black, Indigenous, and students of color and institutions are tasked with funding models based on performance indicators in retention, persistence and graduation rates, the ruling impacts both the “head and heart” work that institutions are tasked. Recent predictive modeling relies on data points that include minoritized status, first generation status, unmet financial need, and more. The ruling of the Supreme Court hamstrings higher education practitioners, while ensuring that students do not have resources until changes arise.
Ensuring Belonging of All Students in a Climate that Attacks Identity
For many students, college campuses provide the first opportunity to be their fully authentic selves. This is never more true than with LGBTQ+ students in “red states”, where their very identity is under attack. How do institutions in states where being trans, queer, or other minoritized identities create a sense of intentional belonging for students from those identities? Students find themselves, their community and their belonging on our college campuses where many may not be ready to be in school, and yet so many have no choice than to be at school.
Multiracial Roots, Black Fruit: A Journey of Trauma, Self-discovery and Triumph
Growing up in a multiracial family in the ultra-diverse Twin Cities (Minneapolis, St. Paul) created a unique perspective on issues of inclusion that were shattered once I embarked on my college journey. Learning how to be multi-racial and yet 100% Black was a journey of self-discovery, growth, tears and trauma. This talk focuses on Adam’s unique perspective and journey in a call to action for real reconciliation, repair and justice.
Black, Indigenous, Students of Color, and First Generation Student Success
Creating intentional and holistic supports for our most vulnerable students are key to ensuring success of what is and will continue to become “new traditional” college students. This is imperative as America continues to become more “brown” and the numbers of first generation students rise. Campuses are called upon to create a campus climate, initiatives, programs, and culture that ensures the new majority belongs and has support “before they ask for it.”
Speak Up or Pull Up: Becoming an Active Ally and Accomplice
The workshop takes students from diversity and equity, to the bystander effect, to becoming an active ally and accomplice. The session includes interactive and group activity to equip students with the skills to recognize where they fall on the “justice continuum” and to strive to move toward active accompliceship. Ideally this is a three or four part virtual workshop which can be aimed at middle school, high school, or college students.
FOR COMPANY AND CORPORATE AUDIENCES
We Would Hire Them If They’d Apply: How to Create a Culture that Recruits, Hires and Selects Diverse Employees
Corporations and institutions often cite the lack of Black, Indigenous, and other candidates of color for vacancies as rationale for not having a diverse workforce. The ability to recruit, hire, and select candidates begins with a long and hard look at organizational culture. This session debunks the myth and divisive-nature of “fit” and how to create hiring processes and culture that will result in not only diverse applicants, but hires. Additional examination of required shifts in organizational culture will result in diverse team members being their authentic selves thus increasing overall retention and recruitment efforts.
Cameras Off: Creating a Culture that Sees your Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Colleagues
The continued trauma inflicted against communities of color came to a head with the civil unrest of 2020 and 2021. Many Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) professionals felt powerless to impact change in the streets, but showed their resistance and solidarity with The People by keeping their camera off during virtual meetings with colleagues. This “silent solidarity” was often a response to not feeling seen by their white colleagues who many times failed to acknowledge or address the pain and trauma that was being inflicted on a daily basis on their colleagues and communities. Often this failure to acknowledge was strictly the unwillingness of white professionals to “overcome awkward” and recognize that just seeing the trauma and pain was more important than their lack of comfort with the conversation. This session will explore how simple recognition and sincere empathy can result in true solidarity and an increase in BIPOC employee satisfaction, recruitment, and retention of employees of color.
