Student success leader Adam A. Smith appointed interim vice president at Kentucky State University

Smith brings 25-plus years of higher education experience to enrollment management and student success role

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky State University has announced the appointment of Adam A. Smith as interim vice president of enrollment management and student success, bringing more than 25 years of experience in higher education, academic advising, scholarship programs, community engagement, and student support.

With a record of helping students enroll, persist, and graduate, Smith brings experience from Evolve502 in Louisville, the University of Kentucky, the University of Alabama, the University of Akron, and Rock Valley College.

“Adam Smith brings a deep understanding of student success and a proven record of building programs that help students move forward,” said Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo, president of Kentucky State University. “His experience aligns with Kentucky State University’s commitment to academic excellence, student support, and preparing graduates to lead and serve across the Commonwealth and beyond.”

Most recently, Smith served as scholarship and student success director at Evolve502 in Louisville. Before that, he served as executive director of University Academic Advising at the University of Kentucky, where he helped support record-setting retention rates.

His higher education leadership also includes student success and academic advising roles at the University of Alabama. At the University of Akron, he led the Choose Ohio First STEM Scholarship Program, which achieved a six-year graduation rate of more than 80 percent during his tenure. He later was named assistant vice president of student success, helping improve campus-wide retention by more than 10 percentage points.

The foundation for Smith’s higher education work began through Federal TRIO Programs, when he served as founding director of the Upward Bound program at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois. He later moved into a dean of students role as the college’s director of campus activities and outreach.

Before his higher education leadership, Smith began his professional life in the inaugural cohort of AmeriCorps National Service and later led Rockford’s Mayor’s Office of Education and Life-Long Learning, where he helped reduce chronic truancy and support youth engagement programs.

“Throughout my career, I have been grateful for opportunities to support students, faculty, staff, and alumni in the shared work of student success,” Smith said. “I am honored to bring that experience to Kentucky State University and to help ensure that every student has the opportunity to achieve the success reflected in the University’s Onward and Upward mantra.”

He earned a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry/theology from Concordia University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from National Louis University.

A native of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Smith and his wife, Linda, have three adult children and four grandchildren, all of whom live in Kentucky.