Dr. Raymond Lloyd Smith was born on January 25, 1917 in Vanceboro, Maine and grew up in that area. He attended the University of Alaska, graduating in 1943 with a degree in mining engineering and a minor in metallurgy. From 1943-1946 he served with the Ordnance Corps of the United States Army. After World War II, Dr. Smith returned to teach at the University of Alaska. In 1949 he went to the University of Pennsylvania to do graduate work and serve as a research associate. He received his masters in metallurgical engineering in 1951 from the university and his doctorate in the same field in 1953. Later that year he joined the staff at the research branch of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. He began as a senior research metallurgist and five years later had become the technical director of the laboratories.
In 1959 Dr. Smith joined the faculty of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) as a professor and head of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering. A year later he took on the additional duties of coordinator of research. He is internationally known for his research, particularly in the field of ultra high purity iron. Dr. Raymond L. Smith became Michigan Technological University's sixth president in 1965. During his tenure, enrollment would grow from 3,400 to more than 7,600, and the number of faculty would increase to near 300. A long-range physical plan was developed, resulting in major renovations to the campus. US Highway 41 was relocated, and a campus mall was developed. New "high-rise" buildings included the Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building, Chemistry-Metallurgy Building, Electrical Energy Resource Center, and the Administration and Student Services Building. Coed Residence Hall was also built, and a new upper campus was developed. Located on a hilltop south of the main campus, new buildings "up on the hill" included the Student Development Complex with Student Ice Arena, the Gates Tennis Center, and the Forestry Building. Physical expansion was equaled by growth in curricula. New programs were created in bioengineering, computer science, forest engineering, industrial engineering, science teacher education, transportation, water resources, and engineering science. The University was organized into the College of Engineering, College of Sciences and Arts, School of Business and Engineering Administration, School of Forestry and Wood Products, and School of Technology. During Smith's tenure, research dollars were increased 250 percent, and nearly 66 percent of faculty had PhDs, compared to 27 percent in 1964. Laboratory equipment and computer facilities were also improved, and the Sault Branch was given autonomy after it was elevated to a baccalaureate institution. (It is now Lake Superior State University.) Dr. Raymond L. Smith retired in 1979.
From the description of Raymond L. Smith Papers, Circa 1965-Circa 1979. (Michigan Technological University). WorldCat record id: 712782636
