Leading With Love

Meet Malcolm Smith, whose approach to student development is to lead with love and promote the values of integrity, transparency, collaboration, and kindness. Smith is Kalamazoo College’s Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students. For more than two decades he has helped build transformative educational experiences at Ohio University, John Carroll University, the University of Illinois-Chicago, and Salve Regina University. Then, nine months ago, he decided to bring his talents to K and (rather than build) amplify the transformative educational experience the College already does so well. Short- and long-term challenges and opportunities include: expand student activity programs; grow the Intercultural Center; increase four-year campus residency; and improve residence halls in ways that enhance engagement with the K academic experience and foster a healthier work-recreation balance.