Baylor at the Crossroads: Memoirs of a Provost

This is a book about the enormous changes that took place at Baylor University from 1991 to 2003 as seen through the perceptive eyes of its provost at the time Donald D. Schmeltekopf. On the front end was the charter revision a change that permanently restructured the legal governance of the university. On the back end was Baylor 2012 a grand vision for the university issued by the Board of Regents on September 21 2001. There were several critical crossroads along the way to what has now been created at Baylor a Christian research university one of a kind among church-related universities in the Protestant orbit. These memoirs tell the story of this transformation from the perspective of one who was leading at the crossroads. With Baylor at the Crossroads Don Schmeltekopf has provided a splendid record of how best to negotiate the tough choices all church-related schools face today. . . . Dons service is instructive to all of us who care deeply about the life of faith and its inextricable relationship to the life of reason. --Mark R. Schwehn Professor of Humanities in Christ College Valparaiso University Having watched and written about Baylors remarkable rise to a research university while simultaneously strengthening its Christian character I hungered for the story of that ascent by its architect Provost Donald Schmeltekopf. My hunger was satisfied by this exciting account that reads like a novel while offering important teachings about how schools might achieve quality with soul. --Robert Benne Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion Emeritus Roanoke College Schmeltekopfs vision integrity and courage helped drive Baylor forward during a period of enormous change. . . . May this memoir guide and inspire a new generation of academic leaders at Baylor and beyond. --Wilson D. Miscamble Professor of History University of Notre Dame A must-read for anyone interested in the past struggles of Christian higher education and its future prospects. We all need to learn the lessons Schmeltekopf can teach. --David Solomon H. B. and W. P. White Director Emeritus Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture As its chief academic officer Donald Schmeltekopf presided over the transformation of Baylor University from a regional school known chiefly for its undergraduate teaching into an international research university known also for its integration of firm Christian faith with rigorous academic research. Schmeltekopfs memoirs of his years as the Baylor provost provide excellent insight into this revolutionary event. --Ralph C. Wood University Professor of Theology and Literature Baylor University Donald Schmeltekopf is provost emeritus of Baylor University. He was provost of Baylor from 1991 to 2003. Prior to coming to Baylor he served five years as vice president and provost at Mars Hill College and two years as a program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is the coeditor of five books including The Baylor Project: Taking Christian Higher Education to the Next Level (2007).