The University of Mary Washington’s Phi Beta Kappa Society chapter has named its annual scholarship for Roy H. Smith, professor of psychology emeritus and longtime member of the university’s chapter.
A charter member of UMW’s chapter, Smith served as chapter president twice and supported the society’s activities over his 40 years at the university. The Phi Beta Kappa Society is one of the nation’s most widely known academic honor societies celebrating excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Installed in 1971, UMW’s chapter recognizes junior and senior students with superior academic records and grade point averages. To date, the university has more than 1,300 alumni who graduated as members of the society.
The annual Roy H. Smith Phi Beta Kappa Award is given to a rising senior who demonstrates significant academic accomplishments. The $500 scholarship is presented at the chapter’s annual induction ceremony for new members each spring.
Smith joined the faculty in 1970, launching a long and illustrious career at UMW before retiring in the spring of 2010. During his time at UMW, Smith taught a variety of courses in the areas of biological psychology. He also served as chair of the psychology department and in numerous other capacities, including research and internship advisor, community service learning coordinator and organizer of the graduate-in-residence program.
Smith’s research interests in cognitive neuroscience led him to study alcohol use, abuse and education in addition to animal and human interactions. He published two books titled Cognitive Neuroscience: A Functionalist Perspective and A Curriculum for Alcohol Education, in addition to publishing chapters in several books.
A passion for teaching development and evaluation led Smith to initiate and maintain the Teaching Innovation Program at UMW, with the mission of helping faculty improve their teaching through the sharing of ideas and learning of new teaching practices.
Smith received a doctoral degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Tennessee.
For more information about UMW’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, contact Robert Rycroft at rrycroft@umw.edu.
