The Buffalo State community is saddened by the loss of Professor Ronald D. Smith, former chair of the Communication Department and long-time faculty member who passed away in September 2020.

The Communication Department would like to honor Ron Smith's legacy with a scholarship for a undergraduate Buffalo State Communication student planning a career in public relations, with preference given to students in the B.A. in Public Relations and Advertising degree program. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, demonstrate financial need, and possess excellent writing skills, as evidenced by the submission of an essay of 500 words on the importance of strategic planning in public relations.

Please make a gift to the Communication Department to support a scholarship in Ron's memory. Your support will help continue Ron's important work at Buffalo State.

About Ronald D. Smith

Ronald D. Smith joined the Buffalo State Communication Department as an assistant professor in 1990, retiring as a full professor in 2016. He also served nine years as the department's chair, leading its efforts to successfully seek prestigious accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications for its B.A. degrees in Journalism, Public Relations & Advertising, and Media Production.

With Professor Marian Deutschman, he established a four-course sequence of graduate courses in public relations as part of a M.S. degree in Multidisciplinary Studies, which later became a full-fledged M.S. in Public Relations degree. He also served as unit head of the B.A. in Public Communication degree program, later renamed as Public Relations & Advertising.

A former public relations professional and journalist, Professor Smith was the author of several widely used textbooks in public relations and communication, including Strategic Planning for Public Relations; Becoming a Public Relations Writer; and with Rik Whitaker and Janet Ramsey, MediaWriting: Print, Broadcast, and Public Relations.

He was active in the Public Relations Society of America, the world's largest organization of public relations professionals, including service to PRSA's Buffalo Niagara chapter as its president, its Accreditation in Public Relations committee, and its Excalibur Awards committee. He also served as chair of PRSA's Northeast District.