Willie L. Smith, Jr., is a doctoral student in the School of Information at Florida State University. He has spent the last six years working in higher education and is currently serving as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs at FSU’s College of Business. Willie is interested in developing and applying technology to close the achievement gap experienced by some underprivileged students. Moreover, he is interested in researching how information resources may help them have increased academic success and complete college. He has been very active in his community over the past decade. He has created programs that inform students about opportunities to attend college. In 2016, he co-founded Empowered Scholars Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization that assists students from his community with applying to college. In 2018, he published his first book, My Grandmother Dreamed: From College Dropout to Leader in Higher Education.

Ph.D. in Information, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (in progress)

Specialist, Information, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Graduate Certificate, Information Leadership & Management, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Master of Education, Adult & Career Education (Concentration: Business Education and Information Technology), Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA

Bachelor of Applied Science, Technical Studies, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA

Social media use within education; data analytics in higher education; administration in higher education