Meet the Provost & Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Laurens (Larry) H. Smith

Dr. Laurens (Larry) H. Smith became Provost & Chief Academic Officer of Utah State University on July 1, 2022. He served as the Vice President of Statewide Campuses for the prior three years.

Larry has held various administrative roles since coming to USU in 2003. He was Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies from 2004 to 2006. He served in the provost’s office for 12 years mostly as the senior vice provost but spent his final 19 months there as Interim Provost. He served as USU’s Interim Vice President for Research 2018-2019.

Smith’s academic background is in physiology and cell science. A first generation student, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Eastern Connecticut State College, a Master’s degree in physiology at the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in physiology at the University of Maryland. After several years of postdoctoral work at medical schools and research institutes in the east, Smith began his faculty career at Idaho State University in 1989. During 14 years at ISU, he led efforts to improve the teaching and research environment in cell and molecular science and was founding director of the Molecular Research Core Facility. In addition to his experience in research and graduate studies, Smith has extensive expertise in curriculum development, enrollment management, and faculty policy.

Laurens H. Smith
Provost & Chief Academic Officer
Office: Old Main 140
Phone: (435) 797-1167
Email: larry.smith@usu.edu