Scott Smith, Ph.D., professor of Marketing, has been named the University of Central Missouri’s (UCM) Faculty Athletics Representative.
The Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), a role required at every National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college and university, is a liaison between UCM faculty and student-athletes. The FAR also represents UCM faculty in the NCAA, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and the Faculty Athletics Representative Association (FARA) and may serve on various committees within the three entities.
“I’m honored to serve as UCM’s Faculty Athletics Representative,” Smith said. “As someone who loves sports and has seen firsthand the discipline, leadership and dedication student-athletes bring to our campus, I’m excited to support their academic success and help strengthen the bridge between athletics and academics.”
Smith will assist in certifying the eligibility of UCM’s student-athletes and conducting student-athlete exit interviews. He will also collaborate with the university president, vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics, compliance coordinator and senior woman administrator, providing a voice that reflects the UCM faculty and academic mission.
Other duties and responsibilities include:
- Participate in search committees for athletics department senior administrators and head coaches
- Serve as a voting member of the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame Committee
- Serve as an advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
- Regularly attend home and away athletic competitions
Lori Hopkins, associate vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics, said the FAR role helps bridge the relationship between student-athletes, coaches and faculty, and provides checks and balances in NCAA compliance.
“Scott has many years of experience at UCM and is very excited to step into this role,” Hopkins said. “He will be a great resource for our student-athletes. I look forward to working with him.”
A UCM alumnus, Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Missouri State University, a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from UCM and a doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.
He has worked at UCM for more than 20 years and has served as department chair, on the Faculty Senate and its Executive Committee, and on many other University committees, task forces and initiatives. He also helped build student-facing experiences such as the UCM Marketing Virtual Reality Lab and assisted in developing curriculum for Marketing and Event Marketing and Management.
Smith already has experience offering support and guidance to students outside the classroom, including as an advisor for the UCM student chapter of the American Marketing Association and Enactus and as a faculty sponsor for the Tennis Club and the Christian Campus House.
Smith has earned numerous accolades at UCM, including the Governor’s Excellence in Education Award, the Learning to a Greater Degree Award and the Hall of Fame Faculty Advisor Award.
For more information about UCM Athletics, visit ucmathletics.com.
About the University of Central Missouri
With its main campus in Warrensburg, in addition to academic opportunities at the UCM Lee’s Summit at Missouri Innovation Campus, the University of Central Missouri is a comprehensive state institution that serves more than 13,000 students, many of them from out-of-state and across the globe. Helping students to “redefine what’s possible,” UCM offers affordable tuition, prestigious and varied academic programs, and faculty members who are dedicated to their success. While benefiting from a support team of mentors, advisors, counselors, classmates, friends and professors, students not only leave UCM well prepared for the job market, but for life, having access to hundreds of opportunities beyond the classroom. Learn more at ucmo.edu.
