Mark Scheid is Managing Director for Programs and International Studies at the Baker Institute. The managing director role at the institute encompasses the responsibilities of chief operating officer and chief financial officer as well as administration of the institute’s programs and worldwide scholarly endeavors.

Scheid, who previously served as assistant to the president of Rice University and executive director of international programs and scholarships, has extensive experience in executive-level university administration and in the academic side of student affairs, crisis management, and international programs.

Scheid graduated from Rice with a bachelor’s degree in English and history in 1967 and a doctorate in English literature in 1972. He taught at Texas Southern University (TSU) from 1971 to 1997, becoming a full professor of English in 1985.

While a member of the TSU faculty, Scheid began his teaching and administrative affiliation with Rice in 1984, serving as a visiting professor of English and a member of the Rice University Athletics Committee, for which he developed a metric to help identify academically qualified student-athletes. Since then, Scheid has held a number of administrative appointments, including director of academic advising, major scholarships adviser, assistant dean of student affairs for academic and career advising, assistant vice president for student affairs and interim vice president of enrollment.

From 1998 to 2005 he was executive director of international programs and scholarships, sending 250 students per year to Rice-approved study-abroad and international internship sites. In this role he has also served on the advisory boards of four of the largest study-abroad providers in the United States, sending 8,000 U.S. students overseas.