English Professor Stephen Smith Receives Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching

“I initially thought, ‘Oh God, what’s wrong?’” said Smith when Provost Dr. Richard Nigro asked to meet with him. “Then I was overjoyed. I experienced a little bit of unbelief and then a great deal of gratitude.”

A La Salle professor for 22 years, Smith says, “There are so many things I love about teaching. It gives me an opportunity to immerse myself in literature and the arts. I gain a great deal of satisfaction from teaching, having an effect on young peoples’ lives, watching them mature and grow. I love seeing students come in and develop into mature graduating seniors. It’s as if a little bit of me graduates from here when they graduate.”

One day, “out of the blue,” says Smith, he received an e-mail from a student he taught 15 years before.

“He was sitting in his office, reminiscing about college days, he wrote, and he thought of my class, how much he enjoyed it, that it was the best he ever took,” said Smith. “In his e-mail he told me he had memorized Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner. That meant so much to me. It wasn’t someone who went to graduate school or to teach. He just wanted me to know that the class had meant that much to him.”

Originally from Northeast Philadelphia, Smith earned a B.A. at St. Joseph’s University and then his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Notre Dame. He taught at Idaho State University for nine years and then, eager to return home, he came to La Salle in 1987.

The Lindback recipient is chosen by a committee of faculty and students. In presenting the award to Smith at La Salle’s recent commencement ceremony, Provost Nigro quoted comments from students who had nominated Smith: “Nominations from this year’s winner reveal many reasons for his deserving this award: ‘Brings literature to life’; ‘is one of the best teachers and offers some of the best courses’; ‘is the kind of professor I would like to become.’”

Added Nigro, “Nominations from colleagues over 20 years offer consistently high praise for his commitment to teaching, rapport with students, and willingness to share professional experience with colleagues.”

Dr. Nigro added, “a colleague and previous Lindback winner, the late professor John Keenan, wrote several years ago that this year’s winner is ‘My impression of what a La Salle teacher should be.’”

“I was very moved when I heard the words of John Keenan,” said Smith. “Not only was he a renowned master teacher, but he was a mentor and good friend to me when I first came to La Salle, always encouraging and inspiring me to be a better teacher. I am very proud to be in his company.”

In addition to his career at La Salle, along with his wife, Mimi, Smith co-founded the Amaryllis Theatre Co., a professional theatre company that stages productions in center city Philadelphia. “Part of our mission is to be inclusive in terms of making our productions as accessible as possible for people, including people with disabilities,” said Smith.