Dear UNT Community,

I am pleased to welcome Laura Smith, Ph.D., to the University of North Texas Division of Student Affairs. Laura will bring an incredible wealth of experience with her to serve our UNT community when she joins our team as dean of students, beginning Aug. 3, 2023.  

Laura has worked in higher education for more than 25 years, with 22 of those focused on student affairs. Most recently, she served as associate dean of students at the University of Texas at Dallas. In this role, she oversaw students’ health and wellness initiatives, as well as crisis management, intervention and assessment. She served on the University Campus AccessAbility Committee, Title IX advisory group and Behavioral Assessment Intervention Team, and she chaired the Suicide Prevention Task Force. She also facilitated the Council for Advancement of Standards review of the Student AccessAbility Resource Center, Student Counseling Center, Student Conduct and the Military and Veterans Center. Prior to her role as associate dean of students, she served as interim director of the Student Counseling Center and judicial affairs officer for the Office of Community Standards and Conduct.

From 2004 to 2012, Laura worked at UNT Dallas as acting director of Student Life, student development coordinator and student services coordinator. She began her career at Southern Methodist University as an admissions counselor before moving to El Centro College as an academic advisor.

Laura also is an alumna of UNT’s graduate programs, earning a Ph.D. in higher education - student services administration and a Master of Education in counseling. She earned her undergraduate degree from SMU with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.

My thanks to everyone who participated in the dean of students search process, including all who served on the search committee and Laurie Klein, assistant vice president of Wellness and executive director of Recreational Sports, who led the committee. I also want to thank Danny Armitage, associate vice president of Auxiliary Services, who stepped in to serve as interim dean of students.

Please join me in welcoming Laura to our team.

Elizabeth With

Sr. Vice President for Student Affairs