[211] Stephen B. Smith Adds College Degree to His Long List of Achievements

Stephen B. Smith adds college degree to his long list of achievements
MURFREESBORO—Stephen B. Smith, chairman of the board of Haury & Smith Contractors, Inc., one of Nashville’s oldest development and home building companies, received his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies Saturday from Middle Tennessee State University.
A highly successful businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Smith attended MTSU to study finance in the 1970s and earned three letters on the varsity baseball team. He left college before completing his degree.
“It’s never too late to go back to school,” Smith said amid the noisy celebration following the afternoon ceremony in Murphy Center. “And it’s important to the people who love you. I’m proud of the time and effort of all 1700-plus students who went through the line today in order to advance in life.”
Even without a college degree, Smith’s advances in life have been prodigious. He served as the national finance co-chair for Lamar Alexander’s presidential campaign and was the finance chairman for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s leadership political action committee.
He has served on numerous business and civic boards, as well as on the Metropolitan Nashville Planning Commission and the Regional Transit Authority. He was chairman of the board of Nashville Parks and Recreation.
Smith’s passion for horses earned him administrative positions in the walking-horse industry, and as a rider, he won 10 world championships. In 1992, he was named Amateur World Grand Champion. In 2001, he was inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame.
In 2007, he was awarded the MS Hope Award by the National MS Society Mid-South Chapter. In 2008, the Tennessee Board of Regents honored him with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. In 2010, he received the Jennings A. Jones Champion of Free Enterprise Award from MTSU’s College of Business.
Smith led the effort to raise $5 million to build a new baseball facility at Middle Tennessee State University, the Reese L. Smith Jr. baseball complex, named after his father. In addition, the Stephen B. Smith Baseball Clubhouse and Indoor Training Facility is a first-class addition to MTSU’s athletic program. In 2004, he was inducted into the Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame and has served on both the BRAA board and the President’s Council.
“What all the Smiths have been good at is keeping up with something until it’s finished,” Smith said, regarding his academic accomplishment. “When I realized I could do it, I did it. If you can, you should.”
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Editor: Photo #0320 in the photo group is Stephen B. Smith and MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. This photo was taken by Classic Photography.

The other photo of Smith shaking hands with Dr. Brad Bartel, University Provost, was taken by MTSU’s Andy Heidt, MTSU Photo Services.