Robert Courtney Smith

Robert Courtney Smith is Professor of Sociology, Immigration Studies and Public Affairs at the School of Public Affairs, Baruch College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), with over twenty years of dedicated research on Mexican immigrant communities in New York and Mexico.

His research centers on transnational migration dynamics, educational pathways of immigrant children, and community integration:

• Longitudinal studies of second-generation Mexican immigrants
• Socio-cultural adaptation in urban settings
• Educational mentorship systems for immigrant populations
• Transnational community organization models

Smith's seminal work Mexican New York: Transnational Worlds of New Immigrants (2006) established foundational frameworks for understanding diaspora communities, with current research tracking generational transitions through a decade-long study of immigrant children becoming adults.

His scholarly recognition includes:

• Four American Sociological Association awards for outstanding scholarship

Research funding has been secured from premier institutions:

• National Science Foundation
• Social Science Research Foundation
• Spencer Foundation/National Academy of Education
• Columbia Oral History Research Project
• W.T. Grant Foundation

Community leadership encompasses:

• Co-founding the Mexican Educational Foundation of New York
• Co-creating the Mexican Mentorship Project with MASA
• Founding Club Atletico Mexicano de Nueva York (CAMNY)
• Leading Baruch College's Emerging Leaders Program with the Mexican Consulate
• Serving on CUNY Chancellor's Committee for Mexican Community Affairs