Charles D.
Schmitz, Ph.D.
The College of
Education at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis has enjoyed a
renewed sense of purpose and fiscal stability since Dr. Charles D.
Schmitz joined the faculty as Dean in 1996. Beginning with the
inclusive visioning and strategic planning process that marked his
arrival, college faculty have become involved and energized in
creating a college of education that responds to the changing needs
of the community it serves. The College has become recognized for
its innovative approach to forging collaborative community
partnerships.
Prior to
assuming the position of Dean, Dr. Schmitz was Professor and Dean of
the School of Education at Baylor University in Texas after having
completed a distinguished 23-year career at the University of
Missouri-Columbia, serving in a variety of capacities including full
professor and associate dean. He holds the Ph.D., M.Ed., and B.S.
Ed. Degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The University
of Missouri-Saint Louis College of Education has strengthened its
position as the state’s largest provider of new educators under Dean
Schmitz’s leadership. His in-depth understanding of the state’s
University System helped him guide the College from a very large
budget deficit at the time of his arrival in 1996, to a budget
surplus today. Over the past eight years, the College has received
12 endowed professorships (with 14 total, more than any College of
Education in a public university in the United States), built a new
state-of-the-art Technology and Learning Center (part of private
giving to the College that exceeded $10 million in the past 8
years), and received new federal and state funding commitments of
more than $70 million.
Campus
administrators and faculty know him as a tireless advocate for the
college, the campus and the St. Louis region. During his tenure as
Dean, the College has significantly increased the number of
full-time faculty positions, earned approval to offer the Ph.D. in
Education degree and the Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.),
maintained NCATE and State of Missouri accreditation, and earned
first-time accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of
Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for the
College’s counseling programs.
Dean Schmitz
conceptualized and successfully led the effort to build a
state-of-the-art technology and learning center dedicated solely to
the education professions, providing research and programming in the
effective use of technology for increasing student learning. The
College’s Technology and Learning Center became a reality in spring
of 2000 – a facility used by education students and professional
educators across the region (nearly 70,000 visitors per year –
320,000 users since it opened in April, 2000). It is the largest
and most technologically innovative and equipped technology center
in a College of Education in the Midwest.
Through the
collaborative spirit that Dr. Schmitz helped foster, College faculty
developed and initiated a new teacher education program, redesigned
the masters degree programs, and collectively produced and unanimously passed a Knowledge Base and Conceptual Framework
document. Faculty continue charting the College’s future, engaging
in an ongoing formal review and the development of a new strategic
plan adopted by the faculty in May, 2004. Hallmarks of his
leadership style, open communication and collaboration have led to
College alliances across the University of Missouri-Saint Louis
Campus, most recently with Arts and Science faculty partnering with
Education faculty to create the Institute for Mathematics and
Science Education and Learning Technologies (formerly the Regional
Institute for Science Education).
The College has
benefited from the Dean’s dedication to lifelong education as key to
a high quality of life for citizens, forging partnerships with more
than 200 St. Louis area organizations and institutions (business,
labor, government, education, cultural). Dr. Schmitz is an active
advocate of science literacy and character education in St. Louis,
having worked with many partners, including the Saint Louis Zoo, the
St. Louis Science Center, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the St.
Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, the St. Louis
Symphony Orchestra, and the Academy of Science of St. Louis.
Dean Schmitz
organized and hosted the first-ever meeting of education deans from
the St. Louis metropolitan region that led to the awarding of two
major federal grants to approve teacher education and recruitment in
the St. Louis region. He was the driving force behind the creation
of the Regional Center for Education and Work on the campus of the
University of Missouri-Saint Louis. The Center is a consortium of
leading educational, business and community organizations.
During his
tenure in higher education, Dr. Schmitz has authored or co-authored
some 50 scholarly articles, books, book chapters, and monographs,
many of which appear in the leading journals in Education and
related disciplines. He is the former editor of the journal Teacher Education and Practice. Dr. Schmitz has delivered well
more than 300 scholarly papers and presentations at professional
meetings and symposia, and regularly speaks to community and
business organizations. He has received some 30 local, state and
national awards and honors, including Outstanding Educator Award,
Teacher of the Year, Advisor of the Year, and the Award for
Outstanding Achievement and Meritorious Service to Education from
the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Education Alumni
Association. He has also been selected to Outstanding Young Men of
America, Who’s Who in the Midwest, Phi Delta Kappa Honorary Society,
and Kappa Delta Pi Honorary Society and is included in the 1985-86
Directory of Distinguished Americans.
Dr. Schmitz has
served on numerous local, state and national leadership committees,
councils and boards, including the National Board of Directors of
the Holmes Partnership; the St. Louis 2004 Committee on Teacher
Education; the Missouri Commission on the Future of Teaching; the
Urban Network for the Improvement of Teacher Education (UNITE); the
Executive Committee of the Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education; the Missouri Advisory Council for the Certification of
Educators and the Educational Conference–two bodies which advise the
Missouri Commissioner of Education and State Board of Education on
teacher licensing and certification of teachers, administrators,
counselors and other professionals for Missouri public schools. He
is past-president of the South Central Region of the Holmes
Partnership
Dean Schmitz
has served in leadership capacities on various committees of the
Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and has
recently served on its Executive Board. He is also a member of the
St. Louis Council for Educational Advancement Executive Board. He is
the University of Missouri-Saint Louis Institutional Representative
to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the
Holmes Partnership, the Great Cities’ Universities, and the
Consortium of Academic Deans in Education Research Universities (CADREI,
formerly “Land Grant Deans of Education”). He was recently
appointed to serve on the St. Louis Regional Workforce Development
Policy Board, a bi-state (MO and IL) body charged with developing a
workforce enhancement plan for the St. Louis region.
Dr. Schmitz is
nearly a lifelong resident of Missouri, having spent all but three
of his 60 years in the state. His service and dedication to the
University of Missouri System provide him with a unique perspective
and connection with higher education in Missouri. He is undeniably
a true champion of the state’s public higher education system, the
St. Louis region and the state of Missouri.
In celebration of their 40
years of marriage, he and his wife Liz -- Vice President of
"The Marriage Doctors, LLC" -- have written a book entitled
Golden Anniversaries: The Seven Secrets of Successful
Marriages. In an effort to understand successful
marriages, he and his wife - often referred as the "Marriage
Doctors" - have studied happily married couples for 25 years.
From their research they have discovered seven pervasive characteristics present in all
successful marriages. Golden Anniversaries: The
Seven Secrets of Successful Marriages exposes their secrets.