Leading with Light

How Jaymi Lee Smith is shaping the future of graduate education at UC Irvine: A Q&A session

In June, Professor Jaymi Lee Smith from the Department of Drama at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts was appointed as the Interim Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Interim Dean of the Graduate Division at UC Irvine. With over 30 years of experience in theater and lighting design, Smith has significantly contributed to venues such as South Coast Repertory and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Since joining UCI as a lighting faculty in 2007, Smith has served as an equity advisor for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, participated in the 2017 Provost Leadership Academy and joined the Graduate Division as Associate Dean in 2021. Smith's work is dedicated to student success and retention, with a focus on ensuring that students from underrepresented minorities are provided with equal opportunities to excel in academia.

Q: How has your diverse experience in theaters across the country and internationally influenced your work and teaching philosophy?

Jaymi Lee Smith (JLS): My diverse experience has taught me the importance of diversity and the unexpected challenges it brings. Theater has changed for the better over the past decade, although it still has a long way to go. The expansion of whose stories we tell has shifted my teaching to become more inclusive. It has also highlighted the need for a well-equipped toolbox of resources. References from art, movies, books, music etc., play a part in our ongoing conversations about storytelling methods. It’s important to keep filling your toolbox with these different art forms to be part of the conversations.

Q: What does it mean to you to serve as the Interim Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Interim Dean of the Graduate Division at UC Irvine and what are your primary goals?

JLS: Serving in this role means the world to me. My primary goals include helping students holistically thrive, finding ways to enrich programming and increase participation, aiding students in navigating the hidden curriculum, increasing retention rates, especially for underrepresented minorities (URM), and removing obstacles that hinder success. Additionally, we are still so segmented post-Covid, and I want to find methods to foster a sense of belonging for all campus members. We need to understand how we all fit into this campus and how crucial each of us is to the success of this community.

Q: Having served as Associate Dean for Student Success, how do you plan to continue creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all graduate students?

JLS: Several programs are in expansion mode. These include Next Gen Pathways, a peer mentoring program that was piloted last year. Our first cohort included 256 incoming first-generation grad students. This year, I’ve expanded it to 1,000 participants, focusing on first-gen, international and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) students before opening it up to any first-year grad student who would like to join. This program aims to help students understand the hidden curriculum and adapt to Irvine as they start their academic careers. We had some amazing mentors last year and logged over 1600 conversations and around 2500 text messages between participants.

We also have several grants out for Hispanic Serving Institution support, which, if granted, will expand our offerings to collaborate across campuses to promote pathways to the professoriate for our URM students. All the projects above effectively help change the demographics of who students see as their professors. This ultimately creates more equity within the classroom, better mentors for URM students and a diversity of culture within the professoriate.

Q: Can you highlight some of the key achievements and initiatives you led during your tenure as Associate Dean for Student Success?

JLS: During my tenure as Associate Dean for Student Success, I led several key initiatives, including the pilot of Next Gen Pathways, the distribution of over a million dollars in emergency COVID grants, the establishment and administration of over one hundred Completion Fellowships and the launch of the A2I program, which helps train students with the key competencies necessary for industry.

Q: As an equity advisor for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, how do you plan to continue advocating for equity and inclusion in your new role?

JLS: Serving as an equity advisor for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts was a deeply rewarding experience. In my new role, I plan to continue advocating for equity and inclusion by paying close attention to data highlighting issues within retention and disqualification rates, increasing methods for recruiting URM students and increasing funding to support students in need. Most importantly, I need to listen to the community to understand different groups' unique challenges and find creative means to intervene with these obstacles.

Q: How do you balance your professional responsibilities with your creative work in lighting design?

JLS: That’s a tricky question and one that I’m still figuring out. As a full-time professor, I designed nine to 12 productions per year. Once I started as an Associate Dean, that number started to look more like four to six productions per year. This year, as an interim, I currently have one contract I will keep for the fall. I may be able to fit another one in during the spring. But honestly, after three hundred designs throughout large regional theaters, I’m also looking for new methods to be creative. I’m less interested in designing the big polished productions that everyone else in the country is also doing. I'm more interested in expanding my role, perhaps helping write and craft new pieces. There’s also a book that’s been in my head for a decade on the “cultural anthropology of Light.” Maybe I’ll find some time to start getting that on paper.

Q: What opportunities do you believe are on the horizon for graduate education, particularly in the arts?

JLS: I believe that graduate education is at a crucial juncture. The demographic has changed since the system was created. When the system started, it was mainly white, affluent men as graduate students. The students we have now come from various cultures and life experiences. We have many students who are parents, first-gen students and students who are fully supporting their families in another country. We need to figure out how to ensure that we provide an institution that supports all kinds of students and helps them cross the finish line to success. However, this means some creative problem-solving in how we train our students. I don't have these answers yet, but I’m working on it. In the arts, we need to focus on equipping students for the future of the arts. This means new technology but also being holistic storytellers and critical thinkers who can easily engage with global topics and conversations.

Q: What do you hope to achieve during your tenure as Interim Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Interim Dean of the Graduate Division?
 
JLS: During my tenure, I plan to implement effective interventions for struggling students, expand the A2I program with additional funding and resources, provide more support for students who are parents, and increase students' success as they enter academia or industry. Additionally, I’m hoping to forge strong collaborations with Academic Personnel to help train faculty in the evolving needs of our students, strengthen mentoring relationships and find methods to build trust between our students and faculty.

Q: Can you share a memorable experience from your career that had a significant impact on your personal and professional development?

JLS: The most impactful experiences in my career have been when I took a chance on myself. They were the jobs I didn’t think I was ready for or the ones where I didn’t have enough knowledge to do what was asked of me. In those moments, rather than doubting myself, I figured out what resources I had and took the plunge. Sometimes, this meant sleeping in a soccer stadium for a month to design a haunted house, dealing with impossible directors and even failing in different ways. But what it taught me was that I could figure things out. It wasn’t so much about knowing the answer immediately but being able to find the answer. I could rise to the job. As women, this is particularly difficult for us to do. We are often taught to “play it safe,” which often means self-sabotage in taking on a role that will move us forward. Be brave.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring leaders in academia?

JLS: That’s challenging to answer, as I’m still trying to figure out how I got here! I hadn’t planned on working in upper administration, and I like to joke that I got here simply because I spoke too much in meetings. But realistically, I think I’m here because of a few things. I lead from the heart. I always try to see things from the other person’s point of view and understand why they are making certain decisions and how they must feel. I also believe in active listening. People need to feel seen and heard, that their experiences are valid, and that they are crucial members of the community. And finally, ask a lot of questions. None of us know everything, and just like you must let go of your ego to be a good collaborator, you also have to let go of your ego to be a good leader. In all my leadership roles, I’ve been here to serve the students, not tell them what to do. I always try to be an ally rather than an obstacle.

To learn more about Jaymi Lee Smith, visit her faculty bio at drama.arts.uci.edu/faculty/jaymi-lee-smith.

For more information on the UC Irvine Graduate Division, visit their website at grad.uci.edu.