With great sadness we share the news of the passing of Professor Emeritus Jurgen Schmandt, one of the faculty members who launched the LBJ School in the early 1970s, on November 29, 2023.
During his 32 years at the LBJ School, Professor Schmandt served as Professor and Research Associate (1970-2002). He was Acting Dean from 1976 to 1977. His areas of expertise included science and technology policy, environmental policy and water management in semi-arid regions. Together with his fellow faculty, Professor Schmandt pioneered the Policy Research Project (PRP). In 2002, he was appointed to the title of Professor Emeritus.
At the time of his death, Professor Schmandt was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Distinguished Fellow of the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC). He served as director of the Mitchell Center for Sustainable Development at the HARC from 1986-2002. He also founded two non-governmental organizations, the Rio Grande/Río Bravo Coalition and the Paso del Norte Water Task Force.
Prior to joining the LBJ School, Professor Schmandt worked at the University of Bonn, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, Harvard University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Professor Schmandt helped shape the LBJ School into a top policy school. His vision and commitment formed the foundations of our school and left a lasting positive legacy. Remembrances or reflections on Professor Schmandt are welcome on our memorial page.