Born in
Chennai in India, Dr. Smith graduated from
Ethiraj College for Women and
Madras Christian College in the
University of Madras, with BA and MA degrees in English, respectively, and from Auburn University with a PhD in English Literature in 1988. In 1991, she was awarded a grant by the
American Council of Learned Societies to conduct research on Renaissance drama, a topic on which she later wrote two books and several articles. Her research and teaching interests include the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Shakespeare, Women in Drama, and the development of theatre. She has held faculty posts at a number of colleges, including
Ithaca College,
St. Louis University, the
University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and
Stephen F. Austin State University. She served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at
Seton Hall University from 2002 to 2006. While at Seton Hall, she received a vote of no confidence from a minority of the college of arts and sciences faculty after releasing a Seton Hall professor from administrative duties.
President of Manhattanville College From 2006 to 2008, she served as the provost of
Wheaton College in Massachusetts and served as the eleventh President of
Manhattanville College from 2009 to 2011. At the end of her first year at Manhattanville, in May 2010, students staged a protest in response to the resignation of two administrators, the academic dean and acting vice president for student affairs, and vice president of enrollment. According to a local newspaper, the Harrison Patch, "Most of the outrage was focused toward" Smith noting that she had "cut programs and made changes without taking input from students and staff". and was featured in the New York Times as one among a handful of foreign-born presidents of US Colleges and Universities. She was also recognized for her leadership in education by the National Federation of Indian Americans and by the Kerala Center. That same year, a letter from Robert Hall, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, stated: "the Manhattanville College Board of Trustees is announcing an executive management transition. Molly Easo Smith, Ph.D. has decided to step down from her role as President effective today, May 31." She served as Provost of
University of Wisconsin, Superior from 2018 to 2019, interim Provost at
Stonehill College from 2019 to 2020, and provost of
Thomas More University from 2020 to 2022. As of 2023, she is a professor in the English department at Thomas More University. ==Books==