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Title
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President Walter Smith and Muhammad Ali
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Alternative Title
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Dr. Walter Lee Smith
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Birth Date
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May 13, 1935
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Transition Date
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November 25, 2021
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Category
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Education
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Affiliation to FAMU
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President
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Life at FAMU
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Earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry and a Master of Education from FAMU before completing his doctoral studies at Florida State University. His progression from student to university president represents a significant chapter in FAMU’s tradition of developing graduates who returned to provide leadership to the institution.
Smith assumed the presidency of Florida A&M University in 1977 and served until 1985, presiding over a period of substantial academic, administrative, and physical expansion. His leadership sought to strengthen FAMU’s position as a comprehensive public university while preserving its historic mission as a leading historically Black institution. During his eight-year administration, FAMU expanded from seven to eleven schools and colleges, significantly increasing the range of academic and professional opportunities available to students.
Among the most consequential achievements of Smith’s presidency was the establishment of the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, which became the first journalism program at a historically Black college or university to receive national accreditation. His administration also helped establish the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, creating an important pathway for students pursuing engineering and technical professions. FAMU further expanded its graduate and research mission through approval of its first doctoral program, the Ph.D. in pharmacology.
Smith simultaneously directed significant investment in the university’s physical infrastructure. More than $34 million in construction and renovation projects were undertaken during his administration, including improvements to Bragg Memorial Stadium and the Gaither Athletic Center. These projects supported the university’s expanding academic, athletic, and student needs and contributed to the modernization of the campus.
Recognizing the importance of private support to FAMU’s long-term development, Smith also launched the university’s first major fundraising campaign. The initiative raised approximately $10 million and established the university’s endowment, strengthening the foundation for future institutional advancement and philanthropy.
Smith’s presidency represented a consequential period in FAMU’s modern development. Through academic expansion, professional accreditation, doctoral education, capital investment, and fundraising, he helped strengthen the university’s institutional capacity and national standing. His eight years as president remain an important chapter in the history of Florida A&M University and reflect his enduring commitment to educational opportunity, institutional excellence, and the advancement of HBCUs.
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Life Bio
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Distinguished educator, scholar, administrator, and advocate for educational opportunity whose influence extended from his native Tampa, Florida, to communities abroad. A United States Army veteran, Smith built a career grounded in the conviction that education could serve as an instrument of personal advancement, community empowerment, and social transformation.
Following his university leadership, Smith continued his commitment to expanding educational opportunities nationally and internationally. As a Fulbright Scholar in Malawi, he contributed his experience in higher education to an international setting and later helped establish an American-style college in Soweto, South Africa. His work in Africa reflected a broader commitment to educational access and connected the historic mission of African American higher education with international efforts to create opportunities for communities confronting longstanding systems of inequality.
Smith was also committed to documenting African American educational history. He authored *The Magnificent Twelve*, an important historical account of Florida’s twelve segregated Black junior colleges. By preserving the histories of these institutions, Smith called attention to the educators, students, and communities that created opportunities for Black higher education despite the restrictions of segregation. He further extended his educational mission by founding the Dr. Walter L. Smith Library in Tampa, providing a community-centered institution dedicated to learning, history, and intellectual enrichment.
An autographed photograph of Smith with Muhammad Ali preserves a noteworthy encounter between two prominent African American figures whose careers reflected different dimensions of twentieth-century Black achievement. Ali achieved international distinction as a professional boxer, but his historical significance extended well beyond athletics. His public positions on race, religion, war, civil rights, and humanitarian causes made him one of the era’s most recognizable cultural and activist figures. The photograph documents the intersection of two individuals whose respective spheres—education and public leadership for Smith, athletics and activism for Ali—contributed to broader narratives of African American achievement and social engagement.
Smith’s life ultimately encompassed military service, higher education, university administration, historical scholarship, international educational development, and community service. Whether building educational institutions abroad, documenting the history of Black colleges in Florida, or establishing a library in his hometown, he remained committed to expanding access to knowledge and preserving African American educational history. His career stands as a testament to the far-reaching influence of educators whose work extended beyond the university to communities, institutions, and generations of learners around the world.
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Artifact Dimensions
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L x W: 22.38 x 18.5in (56.83 x 47cm)
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Medium
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Photograph in Brown Wood Frame
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Rights
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All rights reserved. The use of any part of these objects and photographs transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of Meek-Eaton Black Archives is an infringement of the copyright law.
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Rights Holder
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Meek - Eaton Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum
