BVU Announces 2016 Commencement Speaker

April 13, 2016

Buena Vista University has announced that Steven R. Smith, dean emeritus and professor of law at California Western School of Law in San Diego, will be the 2016 Commencement speaker on May 21.

"I am honored to be returning to Buena Vista – an institution where I received an outstanding education and a great foundation for my professional career," said Smith. "I am excited to be among my BV friends and to celebrate with the 2016 graduates of the university as they begin their journey into the future."

Smith graduated with honors from Buena Vista College in 1968 and went on to earn his master's degree in economics from the University of Iowa and his juris doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law. He has led a distinguished career in higher education, as professor of law at University of Louisville and as dean and professor of law at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. Smith was appointed president, dean and professor of law at California Western School of Law in 1996, where he is currently dean emeritus and a member of the faculty.

He has received awards for distinguished service, innovative teaching, and research and creative activity, and he has developed and taught courses and seminars on Health Law and Mental Health Law. He is widely published in the areas of law and psychology and law and medicine.

Smith served as Deputy Director of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1987-88. He remains active in AALS and in the American Bar Association, where he served as vice chair and chair of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar from 2003-06.

"Steven Smith is an accomplished educator who has contributed greatly to the growth and success of students. He has strengthened the field of jurisprudence with his respected publications and presentations on important topics," said BVU President Fred Moore. "The experiences and insights he can share from his career will resonate with our graduates and prepare them as they step forward into the next chapter of their lives."

Smith has served as vice president, president and chairman of the BVU National Alumni Association Board and received the BVU John Fisher Alumni Award in 2000.

He lives in San Diego, Calif., with his wife Lera. Among his involvement in a variety of professional and community organizations, he currently serves on the Board of Governors for the San Diego Foundation, Board of Directors for the National Conflict Resolution Center and Board of Directors for the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program, and he is a life member of the American Law Institute.