Print Header

News Release

Smith Receives Order of the Palmetto


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2003

CONTACT:

Janet Katz
Phone 803-777-2727

Dean Receives Order of the Palmetto

Joel A. Smith III, dean of the Moore School of Business at theUniversity of South Carolina, was awarded the Order of the Palmetto Monday during a ceremony at the Columbia business school. Former Gov. Robert E. McNair presented the award, the highest civilian honor in the state of South Carolina, on behalf of Gov. Jim Hodges.

McNair said that Smith was being honored for his "great contributions" to the state. A veteran of the banking industry who was formerly president of Bank of America’s East Region Banking Group, Smith took over the Moore School deanship in late 2000.

He has long been active on dozens of community and state boards and commissions, including the South Carolina Education Accountability  Oversight Committee, Central Carolina Economic Development Alliance, South Carolina State Chamber of Commerce/Business Education Partnership for Excellence in Education, the SCETV Endowment Board of Directors, the Spoleto Festival USA Board of Directors (he served as chairman from 1997-2000 and is currently co-chair of the 25th Anniversary Fundraising Committee), the "Reorganizing South Carolina Government" Task Force, The Palmetto Business Forum, and the Columbia Urban League. He was named to the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 2001 and received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the United Way of the Midlands in 2000.