Dr. Nellie J. Smith/Professor of Business and Secondary Education
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Educational Background
 High School Diploma, Harris High School,
Meridian, Mississippi, 1946-1950
 B.S. Degree in Business, Rust College, Holly Springs,
Mississippi, 1952-1954
 M.S. Degree in Business Education, Kansas State Teachers
College, Emporia, Kansas, 1956
 Ph.D. Degree in Business Education, University of North
Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D., 1973
 Further Study: Utah State University
 Further Study: University of Memphis\
Employment History
 Rust College – Associate Professor of Business Education and Chairperson, Division of
Business, Holly Springs, MS from Summer 1970 to Summer 2002.
 Memphis State University, Office Administration Department, Assisted Dr. Lloyd Brooks
and Dr. Herman F. Patterson in directing the Word Processing Applications Workshop,
August 6-8, 1984
 Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, Mississippi – Business Teacher, 1964-1970
 Star, Incorporated – Business Teacher and Co-Director of Business Program, Greenwood,
Mississippi, 1966-1967
 Harris High School – Business Education Teacher, Meridian, Mississippi, 1963-1964
 Rust College – Business Education Teacher, Holly Springs, Mississippi, 1962-1963
 International Brotherhood of Teamsters Headquarters - Stenographer-Bookkeeper,
Washington, D.C., Integrated Teamsters Headquarters as the First Black Clerical Worker,
1960-1962
Publications
 Musical Selection -- "Life, It's Mystery and Struggles," -- Poem set to music, 1969.
 Book:
"A Comparative Analysis of National Employment Patterns as Perceived by
Minority and Non-Minority Bachelor-Degree Business Education Graduates of 1972 --a
doctoral dissertation, University of North Dakota, 1973.
 Six Articles:
1.
"How to Use Fortran Arithmetic Operators," Business Education Forum, 1973.
2.
One Typewriting Test -- Straight Copy -- 500 words, published by The Midwest
Catholic Business Education Association, Typewriting Tests, Volume XXI,
March, 1973.
3.
Shorthand Test at 60 words per minute (3 Minutes) Syllabic Intensity of 1.43,
published by The Midwest Catholic Business Education Association, May 1973.
4.
Shorthand Test at 80 words per minute (3 Minutes) Syllabic Intensity of 1.43,
published by The Midwest Catholic Business Education Association, May 1973.
5.
Shorthand Test at 100 words per minute (3 Minutes) Syllabic Intensity of 1.43,
published by The Midwest Catholic Business Education Association, May 1973.
6.
Shorthand Test at 120 words per minute (3 Minutes) Syllabic Intensity of 1.43,
published by The Midwest Catholic Business Education Association, May 1973.
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Awards
 Graduate Fellowship – Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, Kansas, 1955-1956
 Academic Scholarship – Rust College, Holly Springs, Mississippi, 1950-1954
 National Methodist Scholarship – Rust College, Holly Springs, Mississippi, (Presented by the
Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church for the Academic Year, 1953-1954
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Bio Information
 Although I have traveled to almost every state in the United States, and have traveled abroad
to Europe and Africa, I was born in the Southern Region of the United States, Meridian,
Mississippi, which is located 90 miles east of Jackson, Mississippi (the state capitol).My
father was a farmer-logger and my mother was a seamstress and 4-H Club Leader. I am the
only girl in a family of five boys. My parents moved only once when I was a child. They
left Meridian and relocated in Birmingham, Alabama where my father (who was a farmer
and logger) wanted to gain full-time employment as a logger. This new area of his
employment only lasted approximately two years. Therefore I attended Kindergarten and
first grade in Birmingham, Alabama before my parents returned to Meridian. I completed
grades 2-8 in the rural area of Meridian before riding the bus to the city to complete grades 912 at Harris High School. While there, I completed general studies and two skill coursesshorthand and typewriting, and participated in the choral union as first soprano. My level of
achievement from high school was Historian (3rd highest academic level in my graduating
class of 178 in 1950. During class night, I was awarded an academic scholarship to Rust
College where I graduated with honors in 1954. While attending Rust, I participated in the
Marching Band playing First Clarinet, and was first soprano with the Rust College Acappella
Choir under the direction of Ms. Natalie Doxey, founder of the Choir. During my
matriculation at Rust, I served as clerk-typist in the Library my freshman year, and served as
private secretary to the college president my sophomore through senior years, and remained
in that position one year following graduation. Received graduate fellowship to Kansas State
Teachers College where I received the Masters Degree in Business in nine months. Married
and moved to Mansfield, Ohio for two years and was employed at Wilkins Air Force Base as
Clerk-Typist one year and as Private Secretary to the President of Wilberforce University one
year. I was recruited by the Teamsters as the first-black clerical worker where I served in the
Legislative Department as Stenographer-Bookkeeper for two years. After leaving the
Teamsters Headquarters in Washington, D.C., I have been employed as Business Teacher at
my high school one year, Business Teacher at Rust College one year, and as Assistant
Professor of Business at Mississippi Valley State University six years, as Assistant Professor
with STAR, Incorporated (Systematic Training and Rehabilitation) in Greenwood,
Mississippi for one year before joining Rust College in 1970 as Chair of the Division of
Business where I served as Chairperson for one year; then, pursued the Ph.D.Degree in 23
months at the University of North Dakota and returned to continue serving as Chairperson at
Rust College for the next 31 years for a total of 32 years, becoming full-professor in 1977.
During the past five years, I have served part-time in Business and Secondary Education. I
perform as soloist for community events, and serve as speaker for church events. I am
married to Elder Levi Smith, who was a shoe cobbler, and retired as security guard at Rust
College. We are the proud parents of one girl and three boys, as well as three grandsons, one
granddaughter, and one great-granddaughter. Our youngest grandson, a senior in
Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University, has been selected (based on his
role in the International Scholar Laureate Program) and will be attending the U.S.
Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C in January of 2008.