Faculty Focus: Ed Smith brings local voices into the study of government

A former student once told Professor Ed Smith that his government class had changed how she took part in her community.

Laura had been quiet in class.

At local events, she used to stand off to the side, unsure how to join conversations about politics and public issues. But after taking Smith’s course at the Polk State College JD Alexander Center, Laura began researching the issues the class was studying and sharing her opinions with others.

She told him his class inspired her to register to vote.

Smith still thinks about that conversation.

“If I accomplish nothing else in my tenure at Polk State, Laura’s story is enough to personally validate my role in teaching,” he said.

Smith teaches American Government and State and Local Government in Polk State’s Social Sciences Department. He started at the College as an adjunct professor in 2012 and became a full-time professor on the Winter Haven Campus in 2023.

Polk State was already part of his family’s story. Smith attended the College in the late 1980s. His wife, Nikki Smith, was named Distinguished Alumna in May 2019. His two sons also attended Polk.

But before teaching, Smith worked for a state representative and senator, a lobbying firm, and several political campaigns. He and Nikki then started a business in 2002. Teaching gave him a way to return to a subject that had interested him since childhood—and to help students understand how government affects the places where they live.

That work sometimes takes an unexpected form. Smith has dressed in costume a few times to make material such as the Federalist Papers more engaging. He also brings public officials and community leaders into class so students can talk with the people connected to the issues they study.

In spring 2025, Smith organized a six-speaker series that included former U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, county and city officials, the Polk County supervisor of elections, and state lobbyists. The goal was to give students, along with the entire College community, a chance to hear directly from people involved in local and state government.

“Those class visits provided an opportunity for my students to learn and engage with officials that connected the material I teach with the everyday leaders who oversee the issues we discuss,” Smith said.

 “A college education should prepare students to take part in the communities they call home,” said Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas. “Professor Smith gives students a chance to hear from people involved in public decisions and to see that civic life is something they can enter, not just observe.”

Smith wants students to leave his classes understanding both the structure of government and their own role in it. That means learning the founding documents, asking questions, and listening to people with different views.

“True civic dialogue means learning how to genuinely listen to someone you disagree with without losing your cool,” he said. “Civic responsibility means accepting that looking out for your community is part of being a good neighbor.”