Walter Alvah Samuel Smith (4 August 1929 – 8 February 2012), known as Sam Smith, was a Canadian psychologist and academic who served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

of the

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = ''Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Wease ...

and of

Athabasca University Athabasca University (AU) is a Canadian public research university that primarily operates through online distance education. Founded in 1970, it is one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta, and was the first ...

. Smith was born on 4 August 1929 in

Thomas, Oklahoma Thomas is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,181 at the 2010 census. History Thomas was named for William Thomas, who owned a general store and served as postmaster, when the first post office was establishe ...

, and grew up in

Redwood City, California Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...

. He received his baccalaureate degree at the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...

and his Master's degree and doctorate at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

. He taught at the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

, the

University of California Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. Th ...

, the University of Redlands, and the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Ruth ...

, and was Dean of Arts at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

. He was President of the

(1967–1972), and the second President of

(1976–1980). Smith resigned a week after being informed over breakfast by Alberta's Advanced Education Minister

Jim Horsman James Deverell Horsman, (born July 29, 1935) is a politician from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1975 to 1993 and held numerous cabinet portfolios in the Government of Alberta. Early life James Deverell ...

that the government had decided to relocate Athabasca University from

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

to Athabasca. Smith was awarded an honorary doctorate from Athabasca University in 1984. He died on 8 February 2012.

References

1929 births 2012 deaths University of Redlands alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Presidents of Athabasca University Canadian psychologists {{Canada-academic-bio-stub