Emporia State alumnus Ethan Schmidt was the victim of a shooting at Delta State University today.
Schmidt, who graduated from Emporia State in 1998 with a bachelor's in political science and history and a master's in history with a concentration in American History in 2001, was well known on campus.
"He was a remarkable student," said Dr. Karen Manners Smith, a professor of history at Emporia State. "He was one of the best students I ever had and I was thrilled he went on to a career in teaching history."
In 1998, Schmidt was named a Distinguished Senior by the university. While a student, he served as the president of the student body, was in Phi Delta Theta, the Order of Omega (greek leadership honor society), Pi Gamma Mu (international honor society in social sciences), and Cardinal Key (national service organization for college students).
“The Emporia State University Alumni Association sends our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Dr. Ethan Schmidt," said Tyler Curtis, executive director of alumni relations at ESU. "Ethan was a dedicated Hornet and his loss is felt across Hornet Nation.”
Schmidt had written several books and scholarly papers and had expertise in Native American history.
"He was on his road to being one of the great scholars of American history," Manners said.
Before working at Delta State, he taught for six years at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2011.
He returned to ESU's campus this summer for a Phi Delta Theta meeting and gave the John J. Zimmerman Memorial Lecture in early March.