Peter Smith

Peter Smith has assembled an extensive professional career in politics and higher education innovation and policy. Smith has served as founding president at three colleges: the Community College of Vermont, California State University Monterey Bay, and the Open College at Kaplan University. He also served as the ADG for education at UNESCO and dean of the Graduate School of Education at George Washington University. Smith has written three books and dozens of articles. He has served on several national boards and currently serves on several boards including NCHEMS and WCET. Smith served as state senator, lieutenant governor, and congressman for the state of Vermont.

Smith now serves the University of Maryland University College as the Orkand Chair and Professor of Innovative Practices in Higher Education. His most recent book, “Free-Range Learning in the Digital Age: The Emerging Revolution in College, Career, and Education” (SelectBooks, 2018), elevates the discussion of how to break down the walls between college and the workplace, employing the workers’ knowledge to satisfy both job and academic requirements.