Colorado State University Names New Director of Black/African American Cultural Center

Note to Reporters: A photo of Bruce Smith is available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu/.

Colorado State University has named Bruce Smith as director of the Black/African American Cultural Center.

The Black/African American Cultural Center promotes a diverse, inclusive campus environment and serves as a resource to the campus community as well as surrounding communities. The center is committed to student support and retention, cultural awareness, outreach and partnerships to support student success.

Smith joins the Student Diversity Programs and Services cluster at Colorado State, which also includes Asian/Pacific American Cultural Center; El Centro; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center; Native American Cultural Center; Resources for Disabled Students; and Women’s Programs and Studies.

“We are excited that Dr. Smith is bringing a successful history of partnering with colleagues across the university to support all students along with his academic record in research and teaching,” said Linda Ahuna-Hamill, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. “He will be a great addition to an already strong team.”

Smith was formerly at the University of Arizona where he served as director of African American Student Affairs. In that role, Bruce had primary leadership for developing retention and cultural programs and services for students. He successfully worked to create pathways for partnerships among students, university departments and community resources and demonstrated collaboration across departments. He also developed and taught undergraduate classes designed to strengthen students’ academic skills and expose them to campus resources, programming and events.

Smith received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in American Civilization, with a focus on African-American Culture and History. He earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California, and completed his doctoral degree at the University of California, Berkeley, with a major in education and area of emphasis in language and literacy, society and culture.
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