The Michael P. Smith Faculty and Student Development Fund will provide faculty, staff and students financial assistance for travel, professional development and small research projects.

Smith shared in the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting in 1982 and is a member of the Ball State Journalism Hall of Fame and the National Features Hall of Fame. In addition, he represents the College of Communication, Information, and Media on Ball State's National Philanthropy Council and serves on the journalism department's news-editorial advisory board.

He currently holds joint appointments to the Kellogg School of Management and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Center for Religion and News Media, the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors and an Internet-based entertainment company.

He has several books to his credit including "Values, Culture, Content," which has been published in four languages. 

He received his bachelor's degree from Ball State and master's from Northwestern.


By Jody Kress