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It's only been about 18 months since Dr. G.T. "Buck" Smith took over as president of Davis & Elkins College and began making improvements in a manner he terms as "a matter of taking calculated risk." Since then, the number of full-time students has increased more than 50 percent, breaking a more than 60-year record.

According to Smith, that achievement has not been duplicated by any other college or university in the country and he attributes D&E's success to the hard work of everyone on campus and those affiliated with it.

The college was recently profiled in The Chronicle of Higher Education, a weekly newspaper that features news and information for colleges and universities. The three-page article focuses on the college's past financial struggles and how Smith, along with Vice President for Enrollment and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Wilson, took a personal approach to rebuilding the institution.

"Being profiled by The Chronicle was a great honor," Smith said, noting that the article was not something he or anyone at the college pursued. Instead, the newspaper approached the college after seeing an advertisement in a U.S. Airways magazine special addition about West Virginia. The result was an article by senior writer Scott Carlson titled "Turnaround President Makes Most of His College's Small Size."

Shortly after the article appeared in the paper, it was listed on its Web site in the top five "most viewed," "most e-mailed" and "most commented." Those comments from alumni, students and faculty praise Smith and the positive press the article brings to small liberal arts colleges across the country.

Although Smith is pleased with the college's successes, he isn't ready to stop there and has high hopes for the future.

"Augusta is such a wonderful resource ... we want to get our arms around it and integrate it more," Smith said

Another growth area is the Appalachian Studies program. Plans include the expansion of offering three classes in the upcoming winter term.

"Integrating with Augusta is a key thing, the other is to take the natural beauty of the grounds and especially have the campus like an arboretum with local flowers, plantings and trees that are kept inventory and labeled."

To view the article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, visit www.chronicle.com.