Joe Smith
- Ed.D., Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
- M.A., Appalachian State University
- B.A., History, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Joe Smith is an associate professor of health, exercise and sports science. His academic interests include youth sports, tensions between academics and athletics in higher education, gender equity and Title IX and financial and risk management in sports.
He joined the faculty in 1988, but his association with Lenoir-Rhyne University spans three decades. After graduating from Lenoir-Rhyne in 1985, Smith served 14 years in various Bears athletics administration positions, including sports information director, NCAA compliance coordinator and associate athletics director.
In 2011, Smith received the Roediger Distinguished Service Professorship, designated annually by the president to recognize distinguished service to the university. Smith is also a member of the LR Servus Universitas Society. He was inaugurated in 2016 as a notable way of honoring employees who have dedicated the better part of their lives to serve the mission of LR and make it a better place for those who come after them. To be a member of this society, a Lenoir-Rhyne employee must reach at least 25 years of continuous, full-time service. Of literally thousands of individuals who have been employed by the university, fewer than 150 have reached this milestone.