Professor Schmidt is enthusiastic about his love of church, education and the arts, and he enjoys helping students follow their passions.
Experienced designer
Professor Schmidt’s involvement in theatre goes above and beyond, as he’s designed more than 40 shows at Northwestern—as well as productions for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the Orange City Tulip Festival Night Show, and local dance studios. While his main areas of expertise are in lighting, sound and projection, he’s also directed many Northwestern productions.
Innovative worship leader
After 20 years of experience leading worship, Professor Schmidt co-created Northwestern’s interdisciplinary worship arts major. The program’s goal is to build a strong theological foundation of what worship is and what it can be, then ask students to express that understanding by using their own God-given passions and gifts.
Christ-centered
Professor Schmidt combines his design skills and love for the church to volunteer as the head of the media team for Rocky Mountain High, a youth conference in Colorado run by the Reformed Church in America that hosts more than 3,000 high school students and youth leaders.
Artistic educator
He also developed The Nerdy Professor, an online resource providing easy-to-use video tutorials for the church and theatre. Originally created for his own classes, the website is now utilized by technicians and designers around the world.
Family by choice
As a foster parent, Professor Schmidt sees the opportunity to minister to children and make a positive change in their lives. He and his wife believe fostering is a calling and a mission, and they’re grateful it’s resulted in the adoption of their young twin boys.
