Welcome President Schmidly
Thursday, December 5, 2002
The staff of the Foundation gathered on Thursday to meet OSU's new president.
Dr. Schmidly brings considerable leadership experience to his new position. He has been
president of Texas Tech since August of 2000 where he also served as Vice President for
Research, Graduate Studies and Technology Transfer as well as Dean of the Graduate
School. He spent 25 years at Texas A&M University, including five years as CEO of the
Galveston Campus and six years as head of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Sciences.
At Texas Tech, Dr. Schmidly's vision for campus growth led to a record enrollment of
nearly 28,000 students in fall 2002. He's noted as an outstanding leader who emphasizes
strategic planning, communications and accountability. He was particularly active and
successful in rural development and technology transfer in Texas.
An accomplished scientist and author, Dr. Schmidly advocates increased scholarly work by
both students and faculty. His latest book, Texas Natural History, a Century of Change,
was published this past May. Dr. Schmidley has garnered 39 funded research projects and
federal initiatives totaling $35 million.
Dr. Schmidly earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Illinois. He received both his
bachelor's and master's degrees from Texas Tech. He is a native of Levelland, Texas. He
and his wife of 36 years, Janet, have two grown children.
Info prepared by Oklahoma State University Public Information Office.
