Dr. Bruce Smith, a native of St. Louis Park, Minn., came to Grand Forks in 1965 to play for the UND football team. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in mathematics. Through the years Dr. Smith has continued his education by earning a master's degree from Arizona State and a doctorate from Florida State.
While at UND, Dr. Smith played both center and linebacker for the Fighting Sioux. As a senior in 1969, he was elected to the All-North Central Conference team and received honorable mention recognition on the Associated Press All-American team. Dr. Smith was also named UND's Most Valuable Lineman for the 1969 season. During his senior year, he also threw discus for the Fighting Sioux track and field team.
Following graduation, Dr. Smith served as a captain in the United States Air Force for the next eight years. He then chose to share his knowledge by becoming an instructor pilot at Williams Air Force Base, Ariz., before taking on similar duties at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
After his work with the USAF, Dr. Smith worked as director of training for Delta Airlines, director of training systems at Hughes/Raytheon Training, Inc., and director of training for the CAE/Link Flight Simulation Division.
Dr. Smith's career came full circle in January of 2000 after being named dean of the University of North Dakota's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. He is also President/CEO of the UND Aerospace Foundation.
As a nationally recognized authority in aviation training, he recently spoke to the Royal United Services Institute in London and at the International Maintenance Training Conference in Frankfurt, Germany.
Dr. Smith resides in Grand Forks with his wife Ann. They have two children, Allan and Jay.
