Theodore F. Cockle, PhD, is Lecturer and Director of Leadership Studies as well as a Resident Scholar at Baylor’s Center for School Leadership. He received his doctoral degree in Higher Education Studies and Leadership from Baylor University and has been a faculty member at Baylor since 2023.

Dr. Cockle considers himself a scholar-practitioner in pursuit of more theologically animated forms of leadership and education. Accordingly, his research and teaching are founded on two questions: how does — and how should — the Christian faith animate leadership and education? He has worked on several research teams assessing faith integration in different areas of higher education, including faculty development, student affairs, and student success — each leading to publications in peer-reviewed journals such as Christian Higher Education, International Journal for Christianity and Education, and the Journal of College and Character. He is also co-author of two books derived from nationwide research on Christian higher education: Christ-Enlivened Student Affairs (ACU Press, 2020) and Christian Higher Education: An Empirical Guide (ACU Press, forthcoming).

He was also a member on the research team responsible for the Baylor Faith and Character Survey and a postdoctoral research associate on a $2.7M Templeton grant exploring how comprehensive moral communities promote the formation of virtue in college students. Using data from these projects, Dr. Cockle has had numerous opportunities to present to academic colleagues at major academic conferences such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the CCCU International Forum, and the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD).

In addition to research, Dr. Cockle finds great joy inviting students into the complexities of a given topic area in the classroom. As the Director of the Undergraduate Leadership Minor, he teaches sections of each of the three core classes including: Introduction to Leadership (LDS 1301), Vocation Specific Leadership (LDS 2301), and Advanced Leadership Capstone (LDS 4398). Through these courses he works to equip students to identify worthy human ends (e.g. the good of the church and society) and provide the leadership skills students will need to rally others around these pro-social visions.

Students interested in the leadership minor should email Dr. Cockle to learn more or contact their advisor to add the minor to their academic plan.