Professor Smith earned her B.A. in Sociology at Marquette University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She teaches Race and Ethnicity, Social Stratification, and Social Problems. Dr. Smith's primary research focuses on access and retention issues in higher education. Dr. Smith is the recipient of the 2008 Diversity Leadership Teaching/Research award presented by the UST office of Institutional Diversity.