Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, who will take over as president of Harris-Stowe State University after serving as temporary president. Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith has been named the 21st president of Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU).
Collins Smith will be the institution’s first Black female president.
On March 1, 2022, Collins Smith, who has been acting as the president of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) since June 2021, will officially take over. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of leadership, and during her tenure as interim president, she assisted HSSU in obtaining more than $3.5 million in gifts and scholarships.
“Dr. Collins Smith exemplifies Harris-Stowe’s core values of personal growth, respect, innovation, diversity and excellence,” said Michael McMillan, chair of the university’s board of regents. “She has demonstrated her extraordinary ability to connect with all our stakeholders and to catapult Harris-Stowe forward in these critical times.”
The Journey towards Proficiency
LaTonia Collins Smith, EdD, ’14, experienced some difficulty writing the essay when she originally started her application to Maryville’s doctoral program in education.
She then ran across a coworker at Harris-Stowe State University who was the second person to inform her that a Maryville degree would be a huge help for her development in higher school, so she made the decision to resume working on her essay.
It happened in 2011. Her perseverance paid off, as she received a PhD in higher education leadership and progressively moved up the Harris-Stowe corporate ladder, eventually becoming the first female African American president of the organization. She claimed that the Maryville program “was all they represented it to be.” It was pertinent. It was demanding and contemplative. It gave me the chance to think back on my prior job as a social worker and public health professional so I could make use of the talents I already have to pursue a career in higher education.
After holding positions ranging from project coordinator in the office of counseling services to provost and vice president for academic affairs, Collins Smith, a native of St. Louis and a graduate of St. Louis Public Schools, has been acting as temporary president at Harris-Stowe since last June. She is also a co-principal investigator on a $5 million National Science Foundation award for Missouri’s STEM education.
She has made teaching the subject a top priority, especially for pupils of color. She wants to make sure that kids who might not have the financial means to attend a larger university can still advance their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math.
She explained, “Governor Parson signed a measure in August establishing Harris-statewide Stowe’s STEM goal. That is in line with our overarching goal of giving the underprivileged access to a diversified, high-quality education.
According to Collins Smith, completing that objective will enable the institution to reach its full potential.
As the first female African American president of Harris-Stowe University, she said, “Our university is a gem in the crown of St. Louis, and I want to be a living example for Black and brown girls, letting them know that their aspirations are feasible. They may take a minute to think back on my path and how I rose through the ranks to reach where I am now when things are difficult to remind themselves that they can succeed too.
Collins Smith claimed that her tenure at Maryville undoubtedly aided in her advancement to the position of president.
She remarked, “I loved my time in the Maryville doctorate program so much that I probably personally recruited someone into every cohort following mine.” Even among my K–12 colleagues, I have promoted the Maryville doctorate program, assisting them in determining whether the higher education pathway is right for them.
Increased enrolment, a few building projects, new collaborations and contacts, an established foundation, fundraising, and improved alumni engagement are all on Collins Smith’s ambitious agenda for her time as Harris-president. Stowe’s It’s a long list, but manageable, she remarked.
