[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                       MARK SMITH GUEST CHAPLAIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE AUSTRIA

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 2011

  Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say a few words about 
today's guest chaplain and my dear friend and fellow Ohioan, Dr. Mark 
A. Smith. Dr. Smith is a leader in faith-based education throughout 
Ohio and also an important leader in Pickaway County.
  Since coming to Ohio Christian University in 2005, he has expanded 
the University's enrollment from 380 to more than 1,750 students. He 
has helped fund and build over $10.5 million of projects and led the 
development of many off campus sites.
  Dr. Smith was also appointed by former U.S. Secretary of Education 
Rod Paige and served on the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary 
Education Board, which managed more than 400 million dollars of 
projects.
  Dr. Smith has experience in nearly every level of education, and he 
has taught several undergraduate and graduate classes in education, 
business, leadership, and religion. Prior to coming to Ohio Christian 
University, he was Vice President for Adult and Graduate Studies at 
Indiana Wesleyan University for five years. Under his leadership, his 
division grew from an enrollment of 2,500 students to nearly 10,100 
students.
  Though he has been anxiously engaged in education his entire life, 
Dr. Smith has also made community service a priority. In fact, he 
currently serves on my Economic Advisory Team, and I rely on him for 
advice to improve our economy and higher education in Ohio. He has lead 
many community projects and assisted in building education programs for 
the African-American community. He also served as treasurer of the 
Pickaway County Community Foundation.
  Though he has proved to be an astute businessman that has 
successfully grown his University, Dr. Smith remains first and foremost 
a man of great faith. Dr. Smith is marred to his wife Debbie, and they 
are the parents of two sons, Douglas and Micah.
  While serving as an administrator for Management Resources 
Incorporated at Hopemont Hospital in Terra Alta, West Virginia, Dr. 
Smith served as senior pastor of the Terra Alta Wesleyan Church and was 
Assistant Superintendent for the West Virginia District. He has 
published scores of articles for professional and church organizations, 
and coauthored ``Leading a Change in Your World'' with Larry Lindsay.
  Dr. Smith graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts degree from Hobe 
Sound Bible College in West Palm Beach, Florida. He attended Kansas 
University's Graduate School, and graduated with a Master of Science 
degree in college teaching from Northeastern State University. In 1995, 
he graduated from West Virginia University with a Doctor of Education 
degree, with a dissertation titled: ``The Role of the College 
President.'' Later, he completed Harvard University's Institute of 
Educational Management for Executive Management.
  I appreciate Dr. Smith for taking the time to be with us today, and 
thank him for his thoughtful prayer and the kind words he shared.

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