Jonathan Smith was named special assistant to the president for diversity and community engagement at Saint Louis University in July 2015. Since then, he has met with countless representatives from the university, civic, religious, corporate, government and community groups to identify ways to strengthen the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion both on and off campus.
“My approach is not to develop those plans and paths from top down, but through collaboration and dialogue,” said Smith, who also serves as an assistant professor in African-American studies. “Because of this, I try to meet as regularly as possible with student groups, faculty members, staff groups and community stakeholders to take the pulse of our efforts and to hear what is needed.”
Smith’s position is linked to what has become known as the Clock Tower Accords in 2014. The accords are a 13-point agreement in which the SLU administration committed not only to more open dialog about race on campus, but also enhance and expand that focus further into the community.
Smith, who began teaching at SLU in 2002, notes that the university has long been engaged in underserved segments of St. Louis city and county. Its Northside Initiative, for example, pulls together a broad group of SLU students and faculty who are already working in a variety of ways in North St. Louis.
“From tutoring and mentoring programs to healthy food access to medical clinics, that is what SLU faculty, staff and students do regularly,” Smith said. “One of my tasks now is to better communicate what it is that we do to the communities with whom we want to partner. By the end of this summer we will have a working website that people can access to see what services and projects we are involved with throughout the city and the metropolitan region.”
Smith tries to maintain a healthy balance between work and his non-work-related activities. He is the minister of music at Blessed Hope MBC, where he plays keyboards and directs the choir. He has spent years coaching speech and debate for Clayton and Lindbergh high schools. He and wife Rochelle, who is the assistant provost for diversity initiatives at Washington University, have three grown daughters, who all reside in Manhattan. An avid supporter of the St. Louis Black Rep, Smith does his best to take in shows there and in New York City when the opportunity arises.
From his perspective, Smith said access to opportunities remains the core issue and greatest challenge for many colleges and universities. He also taught at Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned a master’s degree in writing and a doctorate in English and American literature.
“In too many communities, the pipelines to higher education for poor, black and brown, potential college students is horribly broken. And if we fail these students at the K-12 level, we cannot possibly make higher education more diverse and inclusive,” Smith said.
“So, the underlying issue is equity. We, at every level of education – from preschool on – ensure that equity in terms of access that translates into equitable outcomes is what happens for this generation. For those students already on college campuses, we have to work hard to ensure that we have resources to facilitate admission, retention and graduation.”
