In a long-awaited announcement that was preceded by many months of speculation, the Council of the College of The Bahamas on Thursday revealed that Bahamian-born Rodney David Smith is the institutionﾴs third president.
Dr. Smith brings a wealth of experience with him, having served in high-ranking positions in several prominent American institutions.
The new president will officially take office August 16.
Dr. Smith succeeds Dr. Leon Higgs, who demitted office as the collegeﾴs president earlier this month.
ﾓWhen I left the Bahamas many years ago, [COB] was still a baby and it is absolutely mind boggling to come back now and see where the college has come to. The administration and the faculty and staff have done an absolutely tremendous job.
ﾓIﾴm looking forward to starting another presidency really soon. As you know, I just stepped out of a presidency June 30th. I did not expect to start a presidency so quickly, but itﾴs one that I feel without any question that I could do with great passion.ﾒ
Dr. Smith said a ﾓtremendousﾒ amount of gratitude is owed to the Council.
ﾓThey have worked extremely hard and they are a very convincing Council,ﾒ he said. ﾓI think compared to any board of trustees . . . they are among the absolute best.
ﾓIt is my hope that these Council members will continue to serve the college in years to come. Secondly, I wish to say so far I have met individuals on the campus of COB that are second to none.ﾒ
Dr. Smith brings a record of ﾓoutstandingﾒ accomplishment, which promises to further enhance the collegeﾴs academic reputation.
The new president has committed to leading the drive for greater financial autonomy.
>ﾓDr. Smithﾴs appointment followed a most thorough and exhaustive process that has extended for months. The process included advertising in all of the leading sources where people interested in tertiary level leadership roles read, and of course locally,ﾒ.
ﾓCouncil in this process was assisted by one of the leading executive search firms in America, which specializes in searching for University presidents ﾖ RH Perry.ﾒ
Dr. Smith graduated from St. Johnﾴs University in Minnesota with a bachelorﾴs degree in psychology with a minor in ecology.
He holds a masterﾴs in clinical psychology from Fisk University in Tennessee, and a second masterﾴs with a concentration in international development from Bostonﾴs famed Harvard University.
He also received his doctorate in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard.
On July 1, 2001, Dr. Smith took over the presidency of Ramapo College of New Jersey, a state-supported liberal arts school, ranked number two among public comprehensive colleges in the north by U.S. News & World Report.
At Rampao, he managed an annual operating budget in excess of $90 million.
Dr. Smith has also held several senior positions at Hampton University, Virginia, including vice president for planning and dean of the Graduate College.
He plans to lead COBﾴs drive to university status, fundraising and connecting the college with valuable sponsors and mutually beneficial networks.
Rogan M. Smith, The Bahama Journal
