Smith Fills the Time with Volunteerism, Eyes University Job

Jim Smith stood alone in the State House hallway between the Senate and House chambers on Tuesday.

The former Baltimore County executive, who traveled the halls of Annapolis over the last eight years trailed by bodyguards and support staff, came to Annapolis not on behalf of the county but to lobby for a project close to his heart.

Smith was waiting to pitch senators on behalf of St. Elizabeth School, a nonpublic middle and high school program that serves students ages 10-21 who have special needs.

"I'm trying to help them capture some funds they desperately need for a new roof," Smith said.

The school is seeking about $100,000 in state bond money for the project.

Smith's granddaughter, 13, has cerebral palsy and attends the school. She testified last weekend at a House of Delegates hearing on the bill using a special electronic device that speaks for her.

Smith said the school has helped improve her confidence and she now plays ice hockey on a team with other special-needs students.

In addition to volunteering for St. Elizabeth School, Smith also serves on the board of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and is honorary chairman of fundraisers for St. Elizabeth, the Hannah More School and The Maryland School for the Blind—an organization Smith and his wife have supported with financial contributions.

In addition to volunteering his time, Smith is tossing his hat into the ring to be the next president of Towson University.

In an interview with Patch before finishing his second term as county executive, Smith hinted that he was possibly interested in working in education. The Towson University position was not on his mind at the time.

"I had no idea that Caret was going to be leaving," said Smith.

Smith said he has a soft spot in his heart for the university. Two nephews, as well as a son-in-law and a sister-in-law, graduated from the university.

"Towson is highly important to the county as a whole," Smith said. "I see a great opportunity on the whole to increase the visibility of Towson University academically, as well as in concert with the business community.

"What we want are jobs for kids when they get out of college," he added.

But Smith faces one tremendous hurdle to secure the position: academics. His resume has little background in higher education management or college teaching.

Robert Caret, the man Smith seeks to succeed as university president, spent 28 years at Towson University as a professor and administrator—including as provost, which is essentially the senior academic administrator. Caret has been president since 2003.

Smith spent the last eight years as county executive, following 16 years as a Baltimore County Circuit Court judge. Smith's sole teaching credential is as an adjunct professor in land use law at the University of Maryland School of Law in the late 1990s.

It's not a surprise that many of these top administrative positions go to people with university management experience. The majority of the search committee is made up of people with backgrounds in academia.

Tenured faculty expecting someone with a higher education background could ultimately balk at the hiring of a non-academic and make a new administrator's life difficult.

Smith declined to discuss the issue. It's a job that, at least publicly, he's not lobbying for.