Honors College Announces New Lectureship

The Baylor University Honors College, with gratitude for sponsorship by Provost Emeritus Donald Schmeltekopf, Ph.D. and his wife, Judy, is excited to announce the establishment of the
Annual Ethics and Culture Lecture Series. The first lecture of the series will feature
Russell Moore, Ph.D., Editor in Chief at Christianity Today, and be held on Monday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Baylor Club Ballroom.

Douglas Henry, Ph.D., Dean of the Honors College, describes the age-old importance to the university of public lectures and the timeliness of this particular series.

“From the medieval origins of the university to the present, public lectures and debates are a staple of vital academic communities,” Henry says. “Our new annual ethics and culture lecture series exemplifies an important way we can entertain substantial ideas, ask probing questions, and learn together from leading lights. Now, more than ever, we need highly capable, rigorously thoughtful Christians examining the intersection of cultural life, moral vision, and ethical action. We, therefore, owe a debt of gratitude to Don and Judy Schmeltekopf for their generous support of our efforts.”

The lecture series, which will eventually become a permanently endowed lectureship and bear the Schmeltekopf name thanks to a planned estate gift, addresses publicly relevant topics uniting academic expertise in ethics with a generous-spirited engagement of culture as expressed in film, law, literature, music, politics, religion, and other forms of shared cultural life.

“After talking with Dean Henry about our eventual estate gift and hearing about his desire to create a lectureship that so perfectly suited my academic interests, Judy and I decided to go ahead and partner with the College to get the lecture series started,” Schmeltekopf said. “I’ve been blessed to have spent 30 years at Baylor, and I have seen the university’s influence continue to grow thanks in part to lectureships that bring in the community. Judy and I are thrilled to play a small part in continuing to expand Baylor’s intellectual influence through this lecture series.”

Schmeltekopf has deep ties to the Honors College. During his tenure as provost (1991-2003), he was instrumental in the founding of the Honors College and the creation of the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core.

“The Honors College is a foundational part of undergraduate education here at Baylor,” Schmeltekopf said. “It’s been wonderful to see the College grow since its inception, first under Dean Hibbs leadership, and now with Dean Henry. Judy and I are thrilled this lecture series, that will someday bear our name, will be housed in the Honors College.”

If you are interested in attending the First Annual Ethics and Culture Lecture, more information is available here.