PROVIDENCE COLLEGE ANNOUNCES NEW CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER
(Providence, RI) – Providence College (PC) announced today that Dr. Thomas Smith, an award-winning teacher and accomplished scholar with 20 years of academic leadership experience, has been appointed provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Smith was chosen from a pool of nearly 90 applicants as part of a national search. He will join the College on July 1, 2025.
“Dr. Smith brings a deep understanding of the Catholic intellectual tradition, and an enviable track record of academic leadership focused on serving faculty and students,” Providence College President Father Kenneth Sicard, O.P. said. “He will be a great addition to our senior leadership team. I look forward to working with him in developing the programs and initiatives that will catalyze Providence College’s continued trajectory as one of the nation’s leading Catholic, liberal arts colleges.”
“I’m honored by the confidence President Sicard has shown in inviting me to become Providence College’s next provost,” Smith said. “Throughout the search process I was struck by the hospitality and pride of the Friar family. So it is an honor and privilege to be called to serve our community in this role.”
Dr. Smith comes to PC from The Catholic University of America (CUA), where he has served as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences since the summer of 2020. His major accomplishments in that role include advances in strategic planning, faculty development and support, student recruitment and enrollment, fundraising, and policy development. He is also a professor in the Department of Politics.
Prior to CUA, Dr. Smith spent 20 years at Villanova University, where he began his academic career as an assistant professor in political science in 2000. Increased responsibilities and noteworthy accomplishments characterized his Villanova tenure. Dr. Smith was named Founding Chair of Villanova’s Department of Humanities in 2003. Five years later, he became Associate Dean for Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, followed by a very successful ten-year term as Director of the University Honors Program from 2010-2020.
Dr. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, a master’s degree from CUA, and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,500 students, 450 graduate students and offers degrees in over 60 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”
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