Mary L. Smith (educator)

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Mary Levi Smith (1936–2020) was an American educator who became the 11th president of Kentucky State University (KSU). She was the first woman to lead KSU and the second woman to head a Kentucky state university. She served from October 1991 to June 1998.

Born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Smith earned a BA from Jackson State University in 1957, an MA in Education from the University of Kentucky in 1964, and a Doctor of Education from UK in 1980. She taught in public schools (1957–1966) and was a reading instructor at Tuskegee Institute. In 1970 she moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, with her husband LeRoy Smith, who had been hired as a football coach at KSU. Smith joined KSU as an assistant professor of education in 1974, became acting chair in 1981, and was named dean of the College of Applied Sciences in 1983. In 1988 she became vice president for academic affairs.

After the resignation of president Raymond Burse, Smith became interim president in 1989. In 1991, following financial misconduct allegations against the then-president John T. Wolfe Jr., she took on the duties of the presidency and was officially named president on October 30, 1991. She served as president until 1998 and was inaugurated in 1992. She helped establish statewide higher education reforms and distance learning efforts.

Smith also sometimes went by Mary Levi Smith–Stowe. She died on November 28, 2020, in Frankfort, Kentucky, at about 84 years old. The Mary L. Smith Clock Tower at KSU honors her contributions. She received several awards during her life, including the YWCA Women of Achievement Award (1990) and induction into the University of Kentucky’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni (1995).