Kurt L. Schmoke

Daily Record Staff//October 31, 2025//

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Kurt L. Schmoke became the eighth president of The University of Baltimore on July 7, 2014, bringing extensive experience in public service, higher education and leadership to the institution. Schmoke served as Baltimore’s mayor from 1987 to 1999 and as Baltimore City state’s attorney from 1982 to 1987.

Before joining the University of Baltimore, he served as dean of Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., from 2003 to 2012. Following his deanship, he was appointed general counsel for Howard University and also served as the institution’s interim provost.

Schmoke has consistently emphasized his belief in education’s transformative power. In a 2007 editorial in The Journal of Negro Education, he wrote that aside from his parents, the education he received had the most profound effect on his adult and professional achievements, noting that the interaction between family and teachers was significant, sustained and life-altering.

What is your biggest accomplishment?

Guiding the institution through the challenges of the pandemic.

What is the biggest challenge facing higher education institutions?

Uncertainties resulting from abrupt changes in federal government policies.

What do you do to unwind?

Read fiction and non-fiction and go to movies when there is something to see.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Higher Education Power List for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at origintdrdev.wpengine.com.