Rodney K. Smith (10 May 1951 – 26 July 2020) was an American academic and the 6th president of Southern Virginia University (SVU) (2004-2011). After retiring from SVU, he served as a Distinguished Professor of Law and director of the Sports Law and Policy Center at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law (2011-2014), a Distinguished Professor of Practice and director of the Sports Law and Business Program at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (2014-2016), and as the David and Laurea Stirling Professor of Constitutional Studies and director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University (2016-2020).

Biography

Smith was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a lifelong academic. He was an undergraduate student at UC-Irvine, Georgetown University, and the Western State College of Colorado (B.A., 1973), and a graduate student at the University of Virginia, Brigham Young University (J.D., 1977), and the University of Pennsylvania (LL.M. and S.J.D). Smith served as the dean of law schools at Capital University (1989-1994), during which time he also served as bishop of an LDS Church ward, the University of Montana (1993-1995), the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the University of Memphis (2003-2004). Smith also served as a member of the board of trustees of the American Academy of Liberal Education. Smith received honorary doctorates from Capital University (2002) and SVU (2012).