Southwest Baptist
University News Release
Contact:
Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu
The commencement address will be given by Clifton M. Smart, interim president of Missouri State University. The Bob R. Derryberry senior address will be given by graduating senior Amanda Michelle Gilmore.
SBU
President Dr. Pat Taylor and Provost Dr. William Brown will present the Life
Beautiful and Orien B. Hendrex Distinguished Teacher awards.
Biography of Clifton
M. Smart
On
June 27, 2011, Clifton M. “Clif” Smart III was named interim president of
Missouri State University (MSU) in Springfield. Mr. Smart had served as general
counsel at MSU since December 1, 2007.
Over
the past three and one-half years at MSU, Smart provided legal counsel to the
Board, president, faculty, staff and administrators. He also was involved in
many campus-wide initiatives including leading the university response to the
state auditor’s report on MSU; serving on the John Q. Hammons Arena Task Force;
developing a comprehensive on-line library policy for the university; and
chairing or serving on a variety of searches including vice president for
diversity and inclusion, chief financial officer (twice), director of
admissions, director of human resources and men’s basketball coach.
Smart
received his Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in 1983, graduating summa
cum laude. In 1986, he graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of
Arkansas School of Law. While in law school, he received the Leflar
Scholarship, was an Oxford Scholar and was on the Arkansas Law Review.
Smart
joined the Strong Law Firm in 1992. He has been a shareholder in the firm since
1995 and vice president since 1998. Over the past 15 years, his practice
consisted primarily of representing individuals and entities in catastrophic
injury, medical malpractice and commercial cases.
Prior
to joining the Strong Law Firm, he worked for two years with the firm of
Wright, Lindsey & Jennings in Little Rock, Arkansas. From 1986-90, he was
with the Judge Advocate Generals Corps in Ft. Knox, Kentucky.
Smart
was selected as one of three applicants submitted to the governor for the
vacant Missouri Supreme Court positions in 2002 and 2004. In February 2009, he
was elected for a five-year term as one of the two lawyer members of the 31st
Circuit Judicial Commission. Best Lawyers in America for 2007-08
included Smart in the fields of product liability, personal injury and
professional negligence.
Smart
and his wife, Gail, have two sons: Murray, graduating this month from SBU in
Bolivar, and Jim, an incoming freshman at Hamilton College in New York.
###
Southwest
Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating
Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at
an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic
community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For
more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
SBU’s
Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a
day at (417) 399-7918.
