Professor named one of top 50 journalism professors in nation

BUIES CREEK – Former journalist Dr. Michael Ray Smith was recognized by journalismdegrees.org as one of “Top 50 journalism professors for 2012.” 

Smith, a professor of Communication Studies at Campbell University, was also awarded Campbell University’s first Teaching Excellence Award this spring. 

Smith worked as a reporter in the 1980s and wrote nearly 3,000 articles for magazines and newspapers. Today, he is leading the new media charge at Campbell University, where he is adviser of The Campbell Times student newspaper, an award-winning publication produced solely by students.

Before beginning his teaching career, Smith spent a decade working in the newsroom and writing for several publications. He works with Drs. Edward Johnson and J. Dean Farmer to teach more than 100 students in the Department of Communication Studies. 

Smith and his wife Barbara have two daughters – Shannon, who works in public relations in Kingsport, Tenn., and Taylor, 20, a French major at Campbell University who is now working as an intern for the Washington, D.C. French embassy through August. This fall she will study in Paris.

To see the entire list of top professors, visit http://journalismdegree.org/top-professors/