Taj Smith
Executive Director for Culture and Diversity Education
Taj Smith
Executive Director for Culture and Diversity Education
Bio
Dr. Taj Smith's role at RIT is to help train faculty and staff on their journey to cultural competency and humility. He also partners with staff and students across the university to facilitate high-impact workshops or high-level experiential learning opportunities for students.
He considers himself an educator, curriculum developer and facilitator specializing in intercultural engagement, intergroup dialogue and program assessment. Taj earned his doctorate in Social Justice Education from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, an M.A. in Africana Studies from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Media Studies from Rutgers University.
For fun, Taj enjoys trying out new restaurants, online shopping, fashion, sports and watching the Walking Dead.
Currently Teaching
In the News
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October 9, 2023
Second annual Together RIT to focus on gender and sexuality
The second annual Together RIT: A Day of Dialogue is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, with this year’s programming centered on gender and sexuality. Together RIT gathers the campus community and creates space to ask questions, empathize, build solidarity, and give recognition to the current and future social issues.
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April 17, 2023
Proposals now being accepted for second annual Together RIT event taking place Oct. 20
A campuswide event will return with a new focus when Together RIT: A Day of Dialogue takes place on Friday, Oct. 20. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni can now submit proposals to present at the second annual Together RIT. The deadline is June 30.
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September 19, 2022
Program set for the inaugural Together RIT: A Day of Understanding, Solidarity, and Racial Reconciliation
Nearly 30 events varying from interactive lectures to film screenings to a PC game-testing session are planned for the inaugural Together RIT: A Day of Understanding, Solidarity, and Racial Reconciliation on Friday, Oct. 21.