Baylor University Mourns Passing of Provost Emeritus Donald D. Schmeltekopf
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It is with great sadness that we share the news that Baylor University Provost Emeritus Donald D. Schmeltekopf, Ph.D., passed away on Wednesday. Our deepest prayers are with his wife, Judy, and their family as they navigate this difficult time.
A memorial service for Dr. Schmeltekopf will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4, in the Powell Chapel at the George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. All are welcome to a visitation reception prior to the memorial service at 9:30 AM at Truett.
A 1962 Baylor graduate, Dr. Schmeltekopf returned to his alma mater as Vice Provost in 1990 and then was named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1991. In 2003, he was named Provost Emeritus. His commitment to the idea that faith and learning are not mutually exclusive found perhaps its greatest expression through his work in developing Baylor 2012, the University’s 10-year vision adopted in 2001.
“I chose to begin my academic career in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business in significant part because of the distinctiveness of Baylor's Christian mission in higher education. Dr. Schmeltekopf was a man of deep faith and Baptist heritage, and as Provost, he became Baylor’s greatest champion for a Christian intellectual vision that set the University on a path to where we are today: a preeminent Christian Research 1 university that is Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo (For the Church, For Texas, for the World),” President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., said. “The Baylor Family joins together in prayer for Judy, her children and grandchildren, as we remember Dr. Schmeltekopf for his transformational leadership and his enduring legacy at Baylor University.”
As Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Schmeltekopf will be remembered for creating four of the University’s 12 academic divisions – George W. Truett Theological Seminary, the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work and the Honors College as well as the Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL). He added Ph.D. programs in biology, church-state studies, sociology, philosophy and mathematics and established the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, as well as the University Scholars and Distinguished Professors programs. During his tenure, participation in international studies programs increased significantly, the University's faculty grew by nearly 30% and faculty research and scholarly activity also increased.
Following his administrative retirement, Dr. Schmeltekopf maintained an active professional life at Baylor as a tenured professor of philosophy until he formally retired in 2014. In 2003, he accepted a two-year appointment as The Hazel and Harry Chavanne Professor of Christian Ethics in Business at the Hankamer School of Business. He also taught an ethics course at Truett Seminary, as well as a course in higher education administration in the School of Education. In 2006, he was named director of the Center for Ministry Effectiveness and Educational Leadership at Baylor. In addition, he contributed to leadership development among U.S. Christian colleges and universities and published several books, including The Baylor Project: Taking Christian Higher Education to the Next Level (with Dr. Barry Hankins); The Baptist and Christian Character of Baylor (with Dr. Dianna M. Vitanza); Baylor at the Crossroads: Memoirs of a Provost; and Ethics & Life: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Moral Problems (with Elaine E. Englehardt). He was honored with the Charles D. Johnson Outstanding Educator Award in 2016 for his contributions to Christian higher education.
In 2021, he and Judy established The Donald and Judy Schmeltekopf Endowed Scholarship in the Honors College and The Donald and Judy Schmeltekopf Endowed Lectureship in Ethics and Culture. In addition, a Baylor Graduate School fellowship program – The Donald and Judy Schmeltekopf Fellowship – serves as a tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Schmeltekopf as one of Christian education's greatest advocates in the understanding of academic leadership as a form of Christian service. Using his model, the program supports gifted students who are interested in connections between faith and learning, and who are committed to Baptist leadership in higher education.
Following his Baylor graduation, Dr. Schmeltekopf earned a Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. from Drew University. He also did postdoctoral study at Princeton University. Prior to joining the Baylor administration, he served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Faculty and Provost of Mars Hill College in North Carolina. He also served as a program officer for the National Endowment for the Humanities and on the philosophy faculty at Union College in New Jersey.
He was married to his beloved Judy Carlisle of Birmingham, Alabama, for 63 years. Together, they built a life centered on faith, family and service. He is survived by Judy; their four children, William, Elizabeth, Andrew and Laura (Autrey), and Stephen and Carrie (Turnpaugh); six grandchildren, David, Claire, Kate, Carolyn, Luke and James; his older brother Robert Schmeltekopf of San Angelo, Texas; and many nieces and nephews.
Dr. Schmeltekopf was an active member of Christ Church Waco, where his faith continued to guide his life and relationships. In retirement, the DaySpring Baptist men’s Bible study was the joy of his week. His legacy is one of academic leadership, wisdom and unwavering devotion to Christ.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be given to the Endowed Dr. Donald and Judy Schmeltekopf Ethics & Culture Lecture Series at the Baylor University Honors College, and/or Christ Church Waco.