William Cunningham Smith (1871–1943) was an American

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

university administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the Faculty (academic staff), faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint ...

, and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

Life and career

Born in

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, Smith was educated at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. He attended graduate school at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. In 1900 he came to the State Normal and Industrial College (now the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

) as a professor of English, and in 1904 he became head of the department. In 1905 Dr. Smith became Dean of the College, in 1915 Dean of the Faculty, and in 1922 Dean of the College of

Liberal Arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

. During his tenure at the College he was chairman of chapel and conducted devotional services. He also served as an extension lecturer. In addition to his work as a professor, Dr. Smith was in demand as a local speaker. He taught the men's bible class at

First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro First Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located in the Fisher Park Historic District of Greensboro, North Carolina. History First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1824 and was the first chartered Presbyterian church in th ...

, and gave a very popular series of lectures on

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

under the auspices of the literature division of the Woman's Club of Greensboro. He also edited a memorial volume on Charles Duncan McIver, and was the author of a number of other publications, including ''Studies in American Authors'', ''The Literary Study of the Bible'', ''Christ the Teacher'', and other articles and pamphlets concerning Bible study. Dr. Smith was married to Gertrude Allen of Greensboro; they had four daughters and a son. He retired in 1941 after 41 years of active service for the College.

References

Finding Aid for the William Cunningham Smith Papers, 1897-1952
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William Cunningham 1871 births 1943 deaths American academics of English literature University of North Carolina at Greensboro faculty University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Harvard University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni