Alum cherishes career, Xavier roots There were some confused looks on campus when Keith Smith ’83 returned to campus this summer as director of photography for a movie that was being partially filmed on campus. Heads turned to read his t-shirts, which sported names like “Leonard Drake” and “Carroll Mace”. Although meaningless to the vast majority of current campus residents, those are names undoubtedly familiar to University old-timers and alums from 1970’s and 80’s. Drake, a former assistant men’s basketball coach, and Mace, a long-time language professor, both are long-gone from Xavier – in fact, the former has since passed away. And yet their impact on Smith remains profound, and helps to illustrate the special bound that Xavier often inspires in its graduates. “Dr. Mace was very soft-spoken, gentle person who took a special interest in me despite the fact that I wasn’t even in his department,” said Smith, a communications major. “Coach Drake
to win the AFI distinguished student scholarship award. He went on to earn a Master of Fine arts degree. “Being at AFI really helped me to appreciate the education that I received at Xavier,” he recalled. “I was surrounded by talented people from all over the world, but it quickly became clear to me that I had the skills and the training necessary to succeed in a highly-competitive environment.” Smith began his film career as a camera assistant, gaining precious experience working for such well-known filmmakers as Oliver Stone (“JFK”), Rob Reiner (“A Few Good Men”) and David Koeppe (“The Trigger Effect”). Stepping up to cinematography, he has worked on a variety of projects, ranging from the independent film “Statistically Speaking” which aired on Showtime to a short film that was one of seven finalists for an Oscar in the live action short category. He has also served in various capacities on more
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- The phrase of the year on campus is “Pardon Our Progress”. Two new buildings – a Convocation Academic Center (which will house the University’s first modern indoor assembly center and sports arena) and the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel (the University’s first free-standing house of worship) – are currently under construction. Another already existing building – formerly a residence hall – is being transformed into the modern St. Joseph Academic and Health Resource Center. - Xavier was singled out as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education by The Princeton Review in its annual college guide publication, “The Best 376 Colleges” guide. The University was also included among the nation’s “best and most interesting colleges and universities” in the 2012 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, and was tied for the No. 5 spot among all 79 Historically Black Colleges and Universities HCBCUs) in the 2012 edition of “Best Colleges” by U.S. News Media Group. - Forty-six XU graduates were accepted into medical, dental, podiatric medicine, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatric medicine, chiropractic, public health, and other health administration programs this fall. In the fall of 2010, there were 359 XU graduates in graduate or professional schools in those fields.
OUR MAN IN HOLLYWOOD: Keith Smith ’83 (second from left), director of photography for the upcoming movie On the Seventh Day, gets camera and crew ready for the next shot. Some scenes for the film were filmed on campus and in nearby Gert Town, giving the proud alum a chance to revisit his alma mater. was just the opposite, he was very demonstrative and outspoken, but he helped me mature both on and off the court.”
than a dozen other feature films as a principle photographer, A-Cam Operator and assistant director of photography.
“They didn’t have to do that; it was just the kind of people they were,” he said. “I owe them a great deal.”
“On the Seventh Day”, an independent film starring Blair Underwood and Sharon Leal, and directed by Emmy-winning director Neema Barnette, represents his first major shot at director of photography. Expected release is early 2012. In that new role, he’s responsible making the overall look of the film match the director’s stated vision. That involves setting the style of the film by making the correct choice of cameras, lenses, framing, lighting, etc., etc. It’s a daunting task, but one he relishes.
Smith, a four-year basketball letterman on Xavier’s powerhouse basketball teams of the early 1980’s, was just as focused when it came to his career goals. Most notably, as a senior he snared an internship with the local cable station as a videographer, which led directly to his being hired as a news photographer for WWL-TV, the city’s most respected news team. In 1989, Smith was accepted into the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles CA, where he became the first cinematography fellow
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“I find it just incredible that I have the opportunity to do this,” Smith. “I honestly love what I do, whether I am focusing on the creative or technical side of the business.”
- Fifteen undergraduate students were to participate in the 2011-2012 Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program, which is designed specifically to help students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. Participants attend semi-monthly seminars featuring guest speakers and topics of importance for prospective Ph.D. students. Select McNair students travel during the year and conduct research internships in the summer. - Thirty upperclassmen have been named Rousseve Scholars for the 2011-12 school year. Students selected for the honor generally represent the top ten (or more) students in the senior, junior and sophomore classes based on their academic performance the preceding two semesters. Each recipient receives a full tuition scholarship and a book allowance. Derrick Bradley, a P3 pharmacy student from Ringhold LA, was one of 260 students nationwide to receive an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, which is awarded to underclassmen who are actively engaged in service projects that address the unmet health needs of underserved individuals and communities. One student NOT on campus this year is senior Abigail Hyndman, who was the winner of the 2011 Miss Universe British Virgin Islands pageant during the summer. As Miss continued to page 3