Former Arkansas State president dies at 88

A former president of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro has died at age 88.

Eugene Wilson Smith died Sunday.

Smith was ASU’s eighth president from Feb. 15, 1984 to June 1992 and twice was interim president.

During his tenure, he oversaw growth in enrollment and the establishment of ASU’s first doctoral program, in educational leadership, according to The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.

Smith, a native of Forrest City, also was a key force in the college’s bid for university status in 1967.

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