Bill Smith Named Head, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology welcomes William R. Smith as head, effective July 1, 2013.

Smith joined the NC State faculty in August 1993 as an assistant professor. In 2000 he was tenured and promoted to associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

His research focuses on the methodological issues in the study of neighborhood contexts and their impact on behavioral outcomes such as crime, police responses to crime, routine activities and physical activity levels of children and adults.

Recently he has published papers on the effects of neighborhood contexts on urban park use. He is currently studying how playground contexts impact young children’s physical activity levels.

He earned his Ph.D. (1984) and M.A. (1977) in Sociology from Rutgers University.

Smith takes over from Maxine Atkinson, who has returned to the faculty after serving as head with energy and distinction since 2008.