Board Approves Janet Smith as New President of Columbia State Community College

Nashville, Tennessee, November 30, 2007-The Tennessee Board of Regents today
unanimously approved Janet F. Smith as the new president of Columbia State Community
College. She will take over the presidency February 18, 2008; the current president,
Rebecca Hawkins, will defer her retirement until that date. Smith has been president
of Rich Mountain Community College in Mena, Arkansas since July 2000. TBR Vice-Chair
Bob Thomas said, “Dr. Smith has excellent experience and has been a sitting
president, so I am confident she will get up to speed quickly and continue the
outstanding performance we’ve come to expect from Columbia State. Its location in a
major growth area means that strong, creative leadership is needed, and Dr. Smith
will provide that.”

According to TBR Chancellor Charles Manning, who recommended Smith to the board,
“Janet Smith has Tennessee roots that I think will serve her well at Columbia
State. She is a native of Houston County and a graduate of Austin Peay State
University. Plus she served for seven years as director of extension services at
Dyersburg State Community College.”

Smith said, “I am very excited about working with the faculty, staff, and community
of Columbia State to continue the excellence that the College is known for. The
welcoming spirit and the pride that Columbia State takes in providing diverse higher
education opportunities for the citizens of south central Tennessee is impressive.
I look forward to returning to Tennessee to be a part of a great college and
community.”

Smith holds a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from APSU, an M.A. in Curriculum
and Instruction from APSU, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from
Vanderbilt University. Prior to assuming the presidency at Rich Mountain Community
College, she spent 10 years as Dean of Academic Affairs at Hopkinsville Community
College in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Her salary at Columbia State will be $151,900,
which is the current president’s salary.

The Tennessee Board of Regents is the nation’s sixth largest higher education
system, governing 45 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system
includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 26 technology centers, providing
programs in 90 of Tennessee’s 95 counties to over 180,000 students.