1. INTERVIEW WITH: DR. THOMAS-SMITH
DATE: FRIDAY, APRIL 12TH, 2013
LOCATION: GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICE, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
LENGTH: 26:57
TIME: 2:00pm
TRANSCRIPTION
RAHEEM CARDWELL: Hi yes my name is Raheem Cardwell; I’m here with Dr.1
Thomas-Smith. Um Director of … the, I’m sorry.2
DR. THOMAS-SMITH: I’m Vice President, I’m Provost of Vice President, Senior Vice3
President4
RC: Oh I’m sorry, Excuse me I’m sorry.5
Dr. TS: Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Prairie View A&M6
University.7
RC: Yes ma’am thank you. Um Dr. Thomas-Smith where, at what area did you come8
from in Alabama?9
Dr. TS: I came here from undergraduate school at Tuskegee, I mean my10
undergraduates school is Tuskegee, uh I didn’t live there growing up, I went to11
college there.12
RC: Yes ma’am, what was you first experience with Prairie View A&M University?13
Dr. TS: Came here in 1968, uh to teach English and lead the Debate Team.14
RC: Um, what did you get your degree in at Tuskegee University?15
Dr. TS: English!16
RC: English yes ma’am, um what was some of your fondest memories at Tuskegee17
University?18
Dr. TS: The one that really stands out is the fact that I graduated in 1965 and was19
handed my degree by Martin Luther King, Dr. Martin Luther King.20

2. RC: Yes ma’am, um… Coming to Prairie View A&M University, um what was more of21
your views? Did you actually want to come to here or was that just something, a job22
opportunity for you?23
Dr. TS: Well, I really wanted to come here in the sense that uh, I was highly24
recommended by a professor I had at Tuskegee, uh because by that time I had my25
Masters, I been highly recommended by her to her good friend, Dr. Ann Campbell26
they had known each other in graduate school or whatever, and my professor at27
Tuskegee was um, had gone to an ivy league school and had a specialty in maritime28
literature and Dr. Campbell had told her that she really needed someone to come29
and help with the debate and sort of help to lift the academic level of the30
department, so she worked on trying to get me to say yes, I come to Texas. So I said I31
could do that for a couple of years.32
RC: How many years have you been at … involved with the Prairie View community?33
Dr. TS: I received my 40 year pin this year back in the fall; uh it would have been 4334
had I not left to go back to school, because I left here, because I came here from35
Washington State. Where I taught in Washington, but I went back to Washington36
State cause I was going to the University in Pullman, which is called Washington37
State University to do my doctrine.38
RC: Yes ma’am. Over the 42 years that you been involved with the Prairie View39
community how do you feel the traditions have changed?40
Dr. TS: (Long Pause) Well I think um the, expect changed. You know over time things41
evolve, in generally they evolve in positive fashion in the sense that um you um look42
at way things are they way they ut to be and you put your resources and your time43
in trying to make them more like they ut be. So I say that um the campus itself has44
really changed, thankfully uh the university has more services, its more45
accommodating in many ways, uh more pleasant for the students, faculty, and staff. I46
believe that uh the faculty is just as dedicated today as they were back in that time. I47
do see that one of the things, one of the differences is that faculty members have48
more responsibilities with their personal lives or whatever, then they had back in49
the day so you’re more likely to have faculty who have competing kind of things so50
faculty and staff have got, you know you heard about the fact about the sandwich51

3. generation. You got more faculties who have children on one end, grandkids on one52
end, and aging parents or grandparents on the other so there kind of in between53
trying to manage that, plus trying to build their careers and do all that stuff so I have54
found that I have to be more respectful of people time and their responsibility and55
obligations because that is kind of different, uh as the population ages more of us56
we’re aging, even the younger people, they have people in their lives who need their57
support and whatever. (5:05)58
RC: Yes ma’am, do you feel that Prairie View A&M University benefits their more59
graduate students then the rest of the HBCU’s in the United States?60
Dr. TS: I don’t quite understand what you’re asking.61
RC: Like um, like does Prairie View, I’m saying like when they graduate do you feel62
like we benefit more of our students in like the working/corporations?63
Dr. TS: Oh, do you think more of our students compared to the students at other64
universities (yes ma’am) succeed in getting jobs. (Yes ma’am) Well, we’re certainly65
competitive; certainly highly competitive and uh I think a lot depends on the field66
study. I believe that we’re well known in some areas and um that has certainly paid67
off well for us! Uh Prairie View students despite the difficult economy seem to be68
holding their own in terms of getting jobs. Getting jobs that give them a chance to69
move up, grow into and mature (yes ma’am)70
RC: How have gender rules changed over the 42 years you been involved with the71
Prairie View community?72
Dr. TS: Gender rules changed?73
RC: Yes ma’am74
Dr. TS: Well, when I came to Prairie View … the university was just ending … uh a75
long, long, long time as being a intuition that real much kept boys living on one side76
of campus, girls living the other side of campus. Girls having strict curfews, um … it77
was pretty restrictive in those days. So when I came it begin to change that, but it78
took a long time for that to change that. Uh when I came there we’re more, far more79
guys than girls, we’ve seen that change, and that, around the country that’s true, and80
HBCU in particular, some intuitions HBCU are almost 2/3 girls. We’re about … nahhh81
for a long time we were even about 50/50, 49/51 (yes ma’am) now I think we82

4. probably do have more girls. We may have maybe like 57% uh girls and the rest83
guys (yes ma’am) or something like that. But I do feel that for women on campus84
opportunity have improved. Uh for the student leaders we have uh for my early85
years it was unheard of that you have girl be President of the SGA, uh even run for86
the SGA. But I saw that change, I saw young ladies um really really get into the Stem87
Disciplines, there was a time when girls didn’t major in as in S.T.E.M Disciplines,88
Science, Technology, Engineering, Ag Sciences, and Mathematics, but we Prairie89
View contributes a large segment of those women who get degrees in S.T.E.M90
Disciplines, so that’s been a change (yes ma’am)91
RC: Do you feel that you have impacted the Prairie View community, and in what92
ways?93
Dr. TS: Well, rumor has it that I have (laughter) and I hope that in this time having94
served this long that I have. Uh I have, uh I’m very dedicated to what I do, very95
committed to working with students, faculty, and staff. Um there’s not any sacrifice96
that too much for me to make whether it’s my money or my time, and that, I found97
that giving of one’s time. Cause that the most precious thing you got. I mean you’re98
born, and you die, and in between there, that dash it’s about time. It’s about what do99
you do with that time, how do you spend that time, and I have uh done everything100
from representing the university in the local area in Houston, in Washington, around101
the country, uh served on committees and councils, uh sat up in the midnight hour102
writing policies statements and working with others on rules and regulations to103
help make things operate more smoothly. Uh but the thing I probably cherish most104
is the fact that I have been the teacher, mentor, or advisor of so many students. Girls105
and guys who come through here over the years, and uh to see that they have taken106
some of my advice and as a consequence their doing very well. Their able to give107
back to the university, their able to give to their communities, and they got the108
message that life has to be purposeful. That life has to have some kind of meaning;109
it’s not about eating, sleeping, watching TV and doing that all over again the next110
day. I think that everybody did that it would be a miserable place, so that I think um111
for me has been, the most important thing is being able to share what I did know, uh112
share what I do believe with others, and this long fellow says “seeing shall take heart113

5. again”, perhaps they will be able to use some of what I was trying to impart to them114
to improve their lives and the lives of others around them (yes ma’am)115
RC: So with that being said, are you at a level right now where you’re satisfied, or do116
you feel that you haven’t done nearly as much as you can do for the community?117
Dr. TS: Oh, I haven’t done nearly as much; in fact I only work in the community118
when it comes to the, the Prairie View, the academic community, uh the Higher119
Educational community. I work very much in the church because I’m United120
Methodist. My husband is United Methodist Minister and also an educator. We’re121
very much involved with the people in Montgomery County. Everything we help122
with sponsors, working with food bank, we um work with um the Senior citizens in123
the community making sure they have, a lot of people don’t have air condition and124
we make sure that they get box fans in the summer, in the winter make sure there’s125
small heaters and there blankets. Uh we work with the NAACP, work the United126
Methodist Relief Core, Emergency Relief Core, uh those are some of the things that127
drive us. So when I’m not at Prairie View, I’m generally somewhere doing something128
to help someone. Have you ever worked for habitat of humanity? (No) Of course,129
one of my organizations links and corporate, is very very much involved with130
service. Uh we have to act, we actually have to clock at least 42, 48 hours of service,131
and document it to be remain a member of the organization. Money alone will not132
keep you in the organization. In the organization there are people who well known133
in the service like uh Congress woman she Jackson Lee sister, Melanie Lawson on134
channel 13, Sharron Melton of channel 13. Uh I have uh young woman who are135
physicians, who are uh anesthesiologist, in fact uh one young woman is uh at Saint136
Luth, is the chief of, one of chiefs of the anesthesiology area uh who we have folks137
who are judges work with young people. So we’re all involved in, we’re service138
committed. (Yes ma’am)139
RC: Um do you have things that personally inspire you to be involved with Prairie140
View community, um more as like, over the 42 years has anything personally, not141
just because you work here or anything like personally deep down inside you that142
makes you motivated to want to contribute to the Prairie View community?143

6. Dr. TS: Well yes! I um think the very fact that uh this is a place that was founded on a144
former slave plantation, and I think about the sacrifices that people made. I mean145
just the trip, just the mental passage. Just coming here and those who were able to146
physically survive coming over on those ships packed like animals, worst. You147
wouldn’t pack animals, nobody would pack cows or horses that way because they148
knew they would die, and they were valuable so you don’t want to kill the horse you149
know. (Yes ma’am) But to try and make a big buck, they try to put just a gazillion of150
us on one ship at a time. As a consequences, many people died, uh some people151
we’re thrown over broad cause they got so sick or whatever. But when you think152
about those who did make it, when they came in directly from Virginia, where they153
came to uh some other places like the islands and finally like way over here, where154
they stared off in Haiti or whatever. When you think about it the fact that people155
where torn from their own homeland and just kind of brought to and enslaved and156
made to work and to build what was the begins, foundation to everything you see157
now in this country. We’re it! We built this, we we’re the heist of the wood, we were158
the draws of the water, we were the carriers of the burden on our backs, and we159
were the era of the children, who would replace us we would work, work, work like160
we did. So you think about that, and you think well if those people could make those161
sacrifices and look what they did. Despite all that, they still when they got little162
freedom they were able to get, they were able to apply themselves educate, get their163
children educated and form these schools, you know push to get schools started. Um164
cause their kids wanted to, they wanted their children to read right, they knew in165
this place you got to learn the language, you got to be able to learn to figure, and do166
business. Even though there were these Jim Crow Laws that kept people from doing,167
people kept the desire to do, they kept pushing. Therefore they put themselves out168
there in the Civil Rights Movement. They went to those lunch counters, and they169
allowed the police to come out and remain nonviolent as the policemen put the170
waterholes on them and they stuck the dogs after them. So when you think about171
that you think, gosh! You must be a part of a pretty powerful people. If you couldn’t172
smash us with all that, we must be pretty sharp (yes ma’am). We must be really173
capable of doing some unbelievable things. Which we have done, but I think there is174

7. more room for that, and I feel committed to do whatever I can to help this175
generation, these young people coming through to be able to achieve at that, to176
achieve the maximum of their capacity (yes ma’am).177
RC: Do you feel that Prairie View A&M University is striving above or under the178
demands as a university in today’s society?179
Dr. TS: I think its struggle. I think we’re striving uh I tell you this very honestly.180
Despite our best efforts there some places where we have not …we just have not181
achieve the outcomes that we want to. But just before you came I was finishing a182
meeting on student success with my people. We’re working to get uh students183
admitted to this university conditionally, provisionally into some study programs in184
communities they live, particular in the Houston and Dallas area to strengthen their185
skills because too many young people come out of school with the ability, but not186
with achievement, and at some point you got to run fast and get achievement in187
reading, writing, and math so that you be able to do what you say you want to do188
and its academic disciplines. So are concern is to have a higher graduation rate,189
higher retention rate, if you don’t stay you can’t graduate. So, um if you quit your190
weight, you can’t graduate. (Laughter) Uh I really am concern that more students191
aren’t finishing, I’m equally concern that of those who finishing too many take192
certain components of their education lightly. So they find themselves having to193
almost relearn, go back through and try to fill gaps that they could have filled while194
they were in college.195
RC: Are there certain positions here at Prairie View A&M University that you feel are196
different or better that we have than a lot of other HBCU, Historical Black Colleges.197
Dr. TS: You said do I think there certain positions?198
RC: Positions like um, working positions or more of family community, or students199
being involved with the Prairie View community or stuff like that?200
Dr. TS: Well I do, I think uh our students well we have quite a bit that goes on here in201
service learning. So every year you have students come out and they clean the202
community for example. They’re involved with the City Council meetings. They’re a203
part of on campus planning units, students where at the table when we decided we204
were going to build a park over there on the corner. Uh were Evans building uses to205

8. be. Students had a voice in deciding how the interesting of the campus should look206
with the new waterfalls, and the new interest in whatever. Our students actually, the207
marque students put that out there, for the most part. Students have been the ones208
who have been driving us to get more housing, and get some housing for graduate209
students and you see it now going up over there. Students are the ones behind our210
new efforts we going to get a retail center. Definitely you know student have been211
involved trying to get a new sports complex, (yes ma’am) they’re really working212
that. Uh I think that at Prairie View, and I don’t know what goes on at every other213
campus and I would be foolish to even speculate that nobody does what we do. But I214
do believe from what I do know about higher educations and about HBCU in215
particular. I do believe that student have opportunities for growth and development,216
I do know this we are ahead of the game in getting student a study of broad217
opportunities. Um a lot of the private HBCU have been doing that for quite some218
time, but many of the public ones just have not done that. Uh we have SAET219
Economizes that helps pay for students to go to China, to go to South Africa, to go to220
Ghana, to go to Korea and uh, we’re teaching Chinese now, we’re teaching Arabic. So221
this whole thing of increasing the global perspective of our students, the global222
learning of our students is amazing, and uh we have, we haven’t had our official223
opening yet, but we have um … um the um, what you call it its based in China .. Um I224
can’t think of it, it’s a new institute that we’re going to, we have had our official225
opening yet it’s kind of about Chinese cultural. It’s going to open here on campus.226
RC: Yes ma’am thank you. Um what are some of thing you would like the Prairie227
View A&M University community to have? That we don’t have, like, I know speaking228
of the like the athletic complex, I know that’s one of the things but other than that,229
what are some of the things that you might think or feel that we should have?230
Dr. TS: First of all we need a hotel. (Laughter)(Yes ma’am) Hotel, hotel there is some231
talk and some planning going on right now about that. We definitely need because232
we’re limited, limited resources out here so we really need a first rate hotels,233
restaurants. Uh, more recreations for the people in the community, I’m sure when234
we build our recreation facility that’s going to start, we’re going to get that pretty235
soon. But people in town probably want to buy memberships so they can come to236

9. work out and that kind of stuff. Uh I believe that the other thing that we really got to237
work on, we are working on, in fact the President met with us this morning on,238
Increase security because we’re living in a society were a lot of things are going on239
and we need to protect the people and the property to the extent that we can. So240
we’re working to try to increase safety security on campus.241
RC: Yes ma’am and this will be my last question I have for you today. Um what are242
some of the things that you remember or that you about Prairie View A&M243
University that has changed over the 42 years that you’ve been here?244
Dr. TS: Well one thing, the curriculum. The university curriculum has changed, has245
expanded. Uh the fact that we have new programs, cause when I came here we had a246
few master programs, we increase that to about 35 or 40 and the notion of a doctors247
program was like nowhere near. But we began to work essentrustly to plan in our248
satiric planning, our long range planning, to pull together the kind of faculty,249
because that’s the most important thing. Faculty doing research, faculty who have250
the proper credentials to work with doctoral students. Um facilities like we couldn’t251
have electoral engineering uh Ph.D. programs if we didn’t have the first class252
facilities that we have over there now in the form of the building that they occupy.253
We were not able to have the juvenile justice and the psychology, and we have four254
doctoral programs; educational leadership, juvenile justice, clinical adolescent255
psychology, and electoral engineering, and we just got approved for the doctoral of256
nursing practice. So that new program will start, very likely in the fall. (Yes ma’am)257
so that whole thing, expansion of the curriculum. The other thing that has changed is258
that Prairie View is truly, fully a member of the Texas A&M University system. For a259
long time that was not the case. We were on paper, cause we were form living260
together because of segregation that A&M is a land grant school, which sort of261
provide lands uh who mental resources, whose earning from the mentally resources262
could be used to support the University of Texas, Texas A&M, a school to be263
established for the colored. Where there was questioned in the state about what was264
that school you know Prairie View is the second oldest public intuition of higher265
education founded because African American couldn’t go to Texas A&M uh in the266
1876 along with A&M open a few months apart. There was a point in which some267

10. comptroller in Austin decided he wasn’t sure that we were that school. So how does268
anybody know cause Prairie View name was not listed there, it’s a colored school to269
be form for the color people. (Yes ma’am) Uh and so withheld some of the funding270
we was supposed to get from what is called the permanent university fund. But uh271
over time Prairie View, the board of regions, the governor, and the legislator uh272
push to change the relationship between our university and the other campus. And273
of course we were, it was a time in which the only ones that was member of the274
A&M system were Texas A&M, Prairie View A&M, and Taratan, and Taratin actually275
came in after we did. We kind of born in with A&M, now we have eleven academic276
intuitions in the A&M system. Of course we have some of several major agencies in277
the veterinary lavatory, and the uh corporate extension probe. Corporate of Texas278
extension service that’s all a part of the system. But we are able to uh benefit from a279
lot of the resources that are in the A&M system. We have like the legal staff, the280
audit staff and all that centralize. So that will benefit a lot. So I have seen the281
different relationship between our university and uh and its mother which is in the282
system which coordinates all other eleven institutions and agencies that’s attached.283
That’s been a major change, (yes ma’am) as respectability, as a visibility that was284
out there before. That should have been, but all things I guess are in it’s time.285
RC: Yes ma’am. Thank you Dr. Thomas-Smith I really appreciate your time of sharing286
your information and views, and uh I just want to thank you for your time.287
Dr. TS: Your welcome!288