Peter Smith

Peter P. Smith, Ed.D. is the senior vice president of academic strategies and development for Kaplan Higher Education. He is responsible for the development of mid-term strategies and program development to move Kaplan Higher Education, a $1 billion business, to higher profitability and academic quality. Dr. Smith is the former assistant director of the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, and served as the founding president of California State University at Monterey Bay, or CSUMB.

As founding president of CSUMB, he oversaw all aspects of leadership and development of the institution, working closely with the founding faculty. The university is widely recognized for its outcomes-based curriculum, a strong science and technology program, the first wireless computer network on a public university campus in America, a focus on first generation college students, and a commitment to service learning as a core component of the curriculum.

Dr. Smith, who holds a doctor of education from Harvard University, also advanced higher education in Vermont. He led a successful effort to implement Vermont’s community college system, which included the design of its operating, administrative, academic, and assessment systems. Peter served as the first president of the statewide Community College of Vermont from 1970-1978 and was named president emeritus upon resigning.