Peter Plympton Smith
This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Peter Plympton Smith" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2017) |
Peter Plympton Smith | |
---|---|
Lieutenant Governor of Vermont | |
In office January 10, 1983 – January 3, 1987 | |
Governor | Richard Snelling Madeleine Kunin |
Preceded by | Madeleine Kunin |
Succeeded by | Howard Dean |
Personal details | |
Born | Peter Plympton Smith October 31, 1945 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Education | Princeton University (BA) Harvard University (MA, EdD) |
Peter Plympton Smith (born October 31, 1945) is an American educator and politician who served as a member of the
Peter Smith is currently serving as Senior Vice President for Academic Strategies and Development at
Early life and education
Smith was born in
Career in education and politics
Smith served one year as an assistant to the Vermont Commissioner of Education. In 1970, he became the founding president of the
Funded by a Mina Shaughnessy Fellowship, Smith wrote Your Hidden Credentials: The Value of Personal Learning Outside College, (Acropolis Books, Ltd, 1986). The book, now out-of-print, promotes college credit for life experience. Smith is also the author of The Quiet Crisis: How Higher Education Is Failing America, (Anker Publishing Company, Inc.,2004) which received juried acclaim from the American Association of Continuing Education. His third book, Harnessing America's Wasted Talent: New Dimensions for Higher Education (Jossey-Bass, 2010) was published in early 2010. His fourth book, Free-range Learning in the Digital Age: The Emerging Revolution in College, Career, and Education (SelectBooks) was published in 2018.
From 1991 to 1994, Smith served as dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University. In 1991, he also served as executive director of the U.S. Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education. In 1994, due in part to his work in assessment at GWU, the California State University recruited Smith as founding president of California State University, Monterey Bay, a post that he vacated in 2005. Beginning June 20, 2005, Smith served as assistant director general for education of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Work at UNESCO
At UNESCO, Smith's education experience was expressed by his concern for the wellbeing of learners: "Quality is an issue," says Smith. "UNESCO has long encouraged the internationalization of education and the involvement of a range of partners, but we must also protect students from inadequate learning resources, low-quality provisions, degree mills and bogus institutions."
After assuming the post of Assistant Director General (ADG) for Education of UNESCO, Smith made several moves based on his mandate from UNESCO's General Conference and from its Director General in an attempt to reform the Education Sector of the institution. These included developing UNESS, a simplified national education support strategy; a Global Action Plan; involvement with the G8 and the World Economic Forum; restructuring the headquarters governance structure; and implementing a de-centralization plan for UNESCO's Education Sector. After an intensive one-year study contracted out to Navigant Consulting, all but three of over 50 recommendations were approved for implementation by the Director General in June 2006.
Political fallout to the approved reforms led to anonymous charges of financial improprieties in the awarding of contracts totaling US$2.2 million to Navigant Consulting without proper UNESCO oversight. Smith was found to have used an established, but alternative bidding procedure in the UNESCO rules. The UNESCO Executive Board ultimately resolved to clarify and strengthen the bidding procedures at UNESCO. In March 2007, opposition to his reforms and the resulting "negative climate" within the organization resulted in Smith receiving a death threat at his Paris home, and he offered his resignation.
University of Maryland University College
In April 2016,
Later career
Smith was one of thirty former Republican congressmen to sign a letter opposing Donald Trump's candidacy for president.[5] In 2021, he published a book about the American system of higher education.[6]
Family
He is the older brother of former state representative Charles Plympton Smith.
References
- ^ Smith, Peter Pylmpton (1968). "Burlington, Vermont, 1791-1848: A Study of Economic Development and Social Change in a Community".
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Election results: 1978 Republican primary, 2006, page 1
- ^ "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ "Former Vermont US Rep. Smith gets Maryland Academic Post". WCAX-TV. Burlington, VT. April 6, 2016. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ Bash, Dana; Kopan, Tal (October 6, 2016). "30 Former GOP Lawmakers Sign Anti-Trump Letter". CNN.
- ^ "An interview with Peter Smith about his new book". eLearn Magazine.
Bibliography
- Smith, Peter P. (1982) Your Hidden Credentials: the Value of learning Outside College
- Smith, Peter P. (2004) The Quiet Crisis : How Higher Education is Failing America. Anker ISBN 1-882982-70-3
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- United States Congress. "Peter Plympton Smith (id: S000601)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.