Ronald R. Smith served as Associate Dean in the Office of Research and the University Graduate School (RUGS) from 1988 to 1996. RUGS oversaw research and graduate education on all eight campuses, with an emphasis on the Bloomington campus. The research mission of the office included stewardship and distribution of research equipment and other research resources, as well as the administration of 29 Bloomington centers, institutes, and museums. The office also served as an informed resource for graduate student interests and worked to enhance graduate student education and support. RUGS administered the distribution of various graduate student fellowship budgets and worked to attract and retain minorities and women in areas of research and graduate programs where they were under-represented. RUGS also became responsible for system wide technology transfer and economic development. The office relied on faculty direction and guidance. Faculty from all campuses served on operational committees appointed by RUGS. RUGS separated into the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the University Graduate School during or around summer 2004.

Smith was also Director of the CIC Minorities Fellowship Program from 1988 until his death in 1997. The Committee of Institutional Cooperation, established in 1958, is a consortium of 12 research universities comprised of the 11 members of the Big Ten Conference and the University of Chicago. These institutions advance academic excellence by sharing resources and promoting and coordinating collaborative activities across the member universities. The CIC is led by the chief academic officers of the member institutions. The CIC Minorities Fellowship Program, which was overseen by RUGS and is also known as the Minority Fellowship Program for the University Graduate School, offers several fellowships that support under-represented minorities in the University Graduate School and some under-represented undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate study. As Director of the CIC Minorities Fellowship Program, Smith worked to recruit and retain minority students at IU, as well as to provide opportunities for them to conduct research abroad or at other CIC institutions.