Newton Smith is currently the Director of Web Services at Western Carolina University and recently guided the university through a major web redesigh and implementing a content management system introduction. Before moving into Information Technology he was the former Chair of the Faculty and Director of the Professional Writing Program in the English department. Newton returned to teaching after 20 years in business in 1995. Since his return, he has been one of the leaders of academic computing at Western Carolina. He was the first instructor on campus to teach English composition entirely in a computer classroom. He then chaired the committee that oversaw all composition classes being taught in computer classrooms, the first public university in the state to make such a move. WCU was the first public university in the state to require students to own a computer, and Smith was on the training team for both faculty and students. Smith has been one of the pioneers in developing a multimedia curriculum at the university. He has developed classes and helped develop the high tech lab used for multimedia projects, and his technical writing class developed the documentation currently being used in this lab. Smith was one of the participating faculty at WCU in its pioneering program with handheld computers in the classroom. Smith's specialty is Appalachian Literature, Professional Writing, and Modern Poetry. He has published widely in these fields. He received his Ph.D. in English at UNC-Chapel Hill. He has been a writer, editor, owner of an advertising and marketing agency, and manager and co-owner of a seedling nursery.
