Theodore F. Cockle, Ph.D.

Dr. Theodore F. Cockle is devoted to cultivating intellectually robust and morally grounded leaders. He serves as Lecturer and Director of the Leadership Studies Minor in the Moody School of Education at Baylor University, where he also holds an appointment as a Resident Scholar at the Baylor Center for School Leadership. He received his doctoral degree in Higher Education Studies and Leadership from Baylor University in 2021 and joined the faculty in 2023.

Dr. Cockle’s work is animated by a central commitment: leadership is an inherently moral activity aimed at promoting human flourishing. His research and teaching explore how Christian faith and moral formation shape not only what leaders do, but who they become. This conviction undergirds both his scholarly agenda and his vision for the undergraduate Leadership Studies minor, which he frames as “Leadership for Human Flourishing” — a curriculum designed to help students clarify their calling, cultivate virtuous character, and lead for the good of others in their careers, communities, and congregations.

An active contributor to the fields of moral and faith formation and higher education, Dr. Cockle has published work in peer-reviewed outlets including the Journal of College Student Development, Self and Identity, Journal of Beliefs & Values, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Christian Higher Education, and the Journal of College and Character and presented at major academic conferences such as the American Educational Research Association and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. His recent scholarship integrates philosophical and psychological theories of virtue and narrative identity to advance new frameworks for the cultivation of virtue in college communities.

He is co-author of Christ-Enlivened Student Affairs (ACU Press, 2020) and Christian Higher Education: An Empirical Guide (ACU Press, 2023), both grounded in nationwide research on faith and practice in post-secondary settings. 

In the classroom, Dr. Cockle delights in inviting students into the complexities of faith, morality, and leadership. He teaches core courses in the Leadership Studies Minor — including Introduction to Leadership (LDS 1301), Leadership and Vocation (LDS 2301), Organizational Leadership (LDS 3301), and Advanced Leadership Capstone (LDS 4398) — each designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to cultivate order out of chaos and foster environments where people can thrive.

When not teaching or writing, Ted and his wife Kate enjoy spending time outside and reading to their four boys.

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.