By Nicole Lyons,
August 12, 2025
Scott Smith, Ph.D., professor of Marketing, has been named the 浪花直播鈥檚 (UCM) Faculty Athletics Representative.
The Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), a role required at every National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) college and university, is a liaison between UCM faculty
and student-athletes. The FAR also represents UCM faculty in the NCAA, the Mid-America
Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and the Faculty Athletics Representative
Association (FARA) and may serve on various committees within the three entities.
"I鈥檓 honored to serve as UCM鈥檚 Faculty Athletics Representative,鈥 Smith said. 鈥淎s
someone who loves sports and has seen firsthand the discipline, leadership and dedication
student-athletes bring to our campus, I鈥檓 excited to support their academic success
and help strengthen the bridge between athletics and academics."
Smith will assist in certifying the eligibility of UCM鈥檚 student-athletes and conducting
student-athlete exit interviews. He will also collaborate with the university president,
vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics, compliance coordinator and senior woman
administrator, providing a voice that reflects the UCM faculty and academic mission.
Other duties and responsibilities include:
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Participate in search committees for athletics department senior administrators and
head coaches
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Serve as a voting member of the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame Committee
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Serve as an advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
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Regularly attend home and away athletic competitions
Lori Hopkins, associate vice president for , said the FAR role helps bridge the relationship between student-athletes, coaches
and faculty, and provides checks and balances in NCAA compliance.
鈥淪cott has many years of experience at UCM and is very excited to step into this role,鈥
Hopkins said. 鈥淗e will be a great resource for our student-athletes. I look forward
to working with him.鈥
A UCM alumnus, Smith earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Business Administration from Missouri
State University, a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from UCM and a
doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.
He has worked at UCM for more than 20 years and has served as department chair, on
the Faculty Senate and its Executive Committee, and on many other University committees,
task forces and initiatives. He also helped build student-facing experiences such
as the UCM Marketing Virtual Reality Lab and assisted in developing curriculum for
Marketing and Event Marketing and Management.
Smith already has experience offering support and guidance to students outside the
classroom, including as an advisor for the UCM student chapter of the American Marketing
Association and Enactus and as a faculty sponsor for the Tennis Club and the Christian
Campus House.
Smith has earned numerous accolades at UCM, including the Governor's Excellence in Education Award, the Learning to a Greater Degree Award and the Hall of Fame Faculty Advisor Award.
For more information about UCM Athletics, visit .