Springfield College Welcomes Dr. Elsie Wallace Smalls to Campus as Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture Keynote Speaker | Springfield College

Springfield College Welcomes Dr. Elsie Wallace Smalls to Campus as Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture Keynote Speaker

 

At left, Dr. Elsie Wallace Smalls and Dr. Calvin R. Hill, vice president for inclusion and community engagement at Springfield College.

Springfield College welcomed Assistant Dean and Campus Director at Springfield College Charleston Dr. Elsie Wallace Smalls as the keynote speaker at the third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture on Wednesday, March 9, in the Fuller Arts Center. Smalls’ presentation focused on her personal stories regarding diversity, inclusion, and acceptance. The Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture honors the history of inclusion and diversity at Springfield College.

Smalls has served as the assistant dean and campus director at Springfield College Charleston for 13 years. She also is a co-founder of LoMa Spoken Word and Consulting, an organization dedicated to educating, enlightening, and inspiring individuals and organizations through research-based seminars and workshops.  Smalls uses her life experiences, academic background, and spirituality to encourage others to reach beyond the broken places in their lives.

Smalls earned a Master of Business Administration from The Citadel, and received a Doctor of Philosophy in public administration from Walden University.

Springfield College started the Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture in 2014 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s commencement speech and honorary degree presentation at Springfield College. King visited Springfield College on June 14, 1964, just 10 months after the “I Have a Dream” speech and six months before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.