Smith earned his master’s degree in school and community counseling from WMU and worked in the university’s counseling office in the late 1960s. A doctorate in counseling from the University of Michigan came next, followed by positions as a professor at several universities.
Smith says teaching counseling courses — as well as fielding questions and learning from the next generation of counselors — has made him a better counselor. “I learn from questions asked by students every day,” he says.