This faculty profile is the second installment of a three-part series on why liberal arts degrees are so desperately needed in society today. Read the first installment here.
Dr. Kali Wright-Smith was drawn to Westminster’s liberal arts methodology long before she began teaching at the College in 2013.
The chair of the Department of Political Science and Security Studies visited Westminster frequently as a child with her father, David Wright, a proud alumnus from the Class of 1972. In high school, Wright-Smith also hung out with her brother and future sister-in-law, Sean ’00 and Heather Meggers-Wright ’98, when they were students at the College.
Finding her academic home
The Festus, Missouri, native soon found that the place she thought of as a second home was perfect for her naturally curious nature. She received the Churchill Scholarship and enrolled at Westminster in the fall of 2000. From there, she immersed herself in subjects that interested her the most, which led to a triple major in Spanish, international studies and political science.
During that time, Wright-Smith also enjoyed taking courses outside of her majors, which further broadened her horizons, including English, psychology and four years of French.
An upper-level history class, however ― History of American Foreign Relations ― truly prepared her to be the scholar and professor she is today.
“I still remember everything about that class because I had to learn at a much higher level. It was the first time I really understood critical analysis and engaging with texts, rather than just reading them,” Wright-Smith said in describing one of the most significant aspects of a Westminster liberal arts education. “Decades later, I can still retrieve so much of what I learned.”
Discovering true community spirit
Challenging coursework aside, Wright-Smith found time to participate in leadership positions and join the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Incidentally, she met her future husband, Ryan Smith ’06, at a Delta Tau Delta party during her senior year.
“Westminster gave me a great community,” Wright-Smith reflected, adding that her suitemates from freshman year are close friends to this day, while Fraternity and Sorority Life opened up new avenues for her across campus. “I also loved the chance to get to know my professors outside of the classroom. Those relationships were so important to me then, and they still are now.”
After graduating from Westminster in 2004, Wright-Smith received a master’s degree in political science with a concentration in international relations from Loyola University Chicago. She then earned her Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University.
Paying it forward
Wright-Smith’s belief in the power of a liberal arts education at a small college came full circle when she returned “home” to teach at Westminster. “Many of my friends were training to work in research, but I knew that I wanted to teach, and I only wanted to teach somewhere like Westminster,” she explained.
When this article was written at the end of summer 2025, Wright-Smith was busy spending time with Ryan, who she married 17 years ago, and the couple’s 8-year-old daughter, Edie. Preparations for the 2025 fall semester were in full swing, including Wright-Smith’s responsibilities as director of the Remley Women & Gender Center. She also co-directs the Center for Teaching and Learning and is the faculty advisor for the Alpha Chi and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.
Although she looked forward to resuming her wide variety of responsibilities, Wright-Smith said she was most excited about her Westminster Seminar course on strengthening democracy through community building and third spaces. The course builds on a research project conducted by senior Emelia Hilse of Bourbon, Missouri, as well as a previous Honors Seminar taught by Wright-Smith. The collaboration is the essence of a Westminster liberal arts education, which emphasizes finding connections across disciplines to solve problems.
Clearly, the Professor of Political Science and Security Studies is thoughtfully modeling how she was taught at Westminster years ago.
“My professors really showed me that learning is an active process, not one where you simply consume content and memorize information,” Wright-Smith reflected. “Today, I know I’m not an expert in everything, or even many things, but I know I have the ability to keep learning new things, and I credit that to my liberal arts education.”
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
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