Rodney K. Smith is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 academic

Academia

Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...

 figure. He was appointed President of Southern Virginia University

Southern Virginia University

Southern Virginia University is a liberal arts college located in Buena Vista, Virginia that promotes standards and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while not being owned nor operated by the Church...

 (SVU) on June 1, 2004. Before coming to SVU, he served as interim dean

Dean (education)

In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

 and Herff Chair of Excellence in Law at The University of Memphis

University of Memphis

The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....

. He also has taught or served as dean at The University of Arkansas at Little Rock

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

University of Arkansas at Little Rock , is a public research university located in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, and the second largest university by enrollment in the state of Arkansas....

, Capital University

Capital University

Capital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...

, University of Montana, University of San Diego

University of San Diego

The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...

, Widener University

Widener University

Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...

 and The University of North Dakota

University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...

. Smith is currently a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Biography

Smith is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

Rodney Smith received a law degree from Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

's J. Reuben Clark Law School

J. Reuben Clark Law School

The J. Reuben Clark Law School is a professional graduate school located in Provo, Utah at Brigham Young University. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, Jr.—former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and LDS Church General Authority—and its charter dean was former...

, and an LL.M. and S.J.D from the University of Pennsylvania Law School

University of Pennsylvania Law School

The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...

.

Smith served as the dean of Capital University's Law School. During his time in Columbus he also served as a bishop of an LDS ward in that city.

His publications include:

Public prayer and the Constitution : a case study in constitutional interpretation

Getting off on the wrong foot and back on again : a reexamination of the history of the framing of the religion clauses of the First Amendment and a critique of the Reynolds and Everson decisions

Nonpreferentialism in Establishment Clause analysis : a response to Professor Laycock

The role of religion in progressive constitutionalism

Religion and the press : keeping First Amendment values in balance / Rodney K. Smith, Patrick A. Shea

Patrick Shea (lawyer)

Patrick A. Shea is a Salt Lake City based lawyer who has taken on many cases related to freedom of the press. He also served for a short time as head of the Bureau of Land Management under President Bill Clinton....

Sources

• LDS Church News, April 28, 2007
• http://www.timesandseasons.org/archives/001053.html