Dr. Douglas L. Smith has been named Director of Graduate Studies for the Samford University School of Business. He will be responsible for administering all aspects of the business graduate programs, including admission, registration, academic advisement and graduation.

The Samford School of Business offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) graduate degree programs.

Dr. Smith was most recently assistant professor of business at Samford, teaching accounting and information technology courses. In addition to his administrative duties, he will continue to teach several MBA and M.Acc. courses.

Smith, a Certified Public Accountant, holds a Ph.D. degree in administration-health services with specialization in strategic management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He holds master's degrees in education and accounting from Samford and UAB, respectively; an MBA from Fairleigh-Dickinson University, and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Georgia State University.

Prior to joining the Samford faculty in 1995, Smith served in areas of finance and information systems with BellSouth for 30 years.

"Both the School of Business and the University stand to benefit greatly from Doug's leadership," said Samford business dean Dr. Carl Gooding. "His academic and corporate backgrounds will be valuable assets to our graduate programs."

Samford's MBA and M.Acc. degree courses are offered in the evenings during five terms beginning throughout the year.