Molly Easo Smith is an Indian-American professor and scholar of Shakespeare and Renaissance drama, and academic administrator.
Education
Born in Chennai (formerly Madras) in India, Doctor Smith graduated from Ethiraj Women's College and Madras Christian College in the University of Madras, with Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in English, respectively, and from Auburn University with a Doctor of Philosophy in English Literature in 1988.
Career
Smith has written two books and several articles on Shakespeare and Renaissance drama. Her research and teaching interests include the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Shakespeare, Women in Drama, and the development of theatre. She has held faculty and administrative posts at Ithaca College, Saint Louis University, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Seton Hall University, and Wheaton College (Master of Arts), and served as the eleventh President of Manhattanville College.
Smith serves on the Board of Trustees at Fairleigh Dickinson University and on the Executive Committee of the International Association of University Presidents, where she leads an initiative to develop women as academic leaders globally.
She was also recognized for her leadership in education by the National Federation of Indian Americans and by the Kerala Center. She was featured in the New York Times as one among a handful of foreign-born presidents of United States Colleges and Universities.
However, her career is punctuated by controversy. She left Seton Hall releasing a Seton Hall professor from administrative duties, as a result of which she received a vote of no confidence from a minority of the college of arts & sciences faculty.
There were also numerous controversies that surrounded her tenure at Manhattanville, including: (1) a large scale protest by students in May 2010.
According to a local newspaper, the Harrison Patch, "Most of the outrage was focused toward the school"s newly inaugurated president, Doctor Molly Easo Smith. Students say that Smith, who has only been president since April 7, 2010, has cut programs and made changes without taking input from students and staff" and: (2) an exodus of many long time, and well respected, administrators, particularly in Admissions and Student Administration, including the academic dean and acting vice president for student affairs, and vice president of enrollment. The article of May 6, 2010 in the Harrison Patch noted that, with respect to the resigning administrators, "Many of the students protesting were international students who said that had played a major part of their decision to come to the school." According to a communique from Robert Hall, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, "the Manhattanville College Board of Trustees is announcing an executive management transition.
Molly Easo Smith, Doctor of Philosophy has decided to step down from her role as President effective today, May 31."
Her hobbies include playing tennis and writing short stories based on her life in India.