Baukal Named Founding Director of OBU Engineering Program

Dr. Charles E. Baukal Jr. has been named the founding director of Oklahoma Baptist University’s new engineering program. He assumed the role of director and professor of engineering on Nov. 7.

Baukal has over 40 years of industrial work experience. Since 1998, he has been employed with the Tulsa-based John Zink Company, LLC, a leading supplier of industrial combustion equipment. He served as director of the company’s research and development center where he managed a world-class combustion test facility until 2002 when he assumed the role of founder and director for Zink’s Koch Engineered Solutions Institute. In that position, he was responsible for providing continuing engineering education for clients and employees of Zink. His leadership resulted in expanded curriculum, improved facilities and multiple new accreditations and subsequent re-accreditations.

A graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Baukal received both his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1982. Baukal earned his Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. 

In 2001, Baukal earned his Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He then earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tulsa in 2004,a Master of Education in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Oklahoma in 2007, and a Doctor of Education in Applied Educational Studies from Oklahoma State University in 2014. Baukal is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Biblical Studies Cognate from Liberty University.

As OBU founding program director of engineering, Baukal will work to finalize the curriculum for each of the three engineering disciplines that will be offered, contribute ideas for the design of the new program facilities, recruit students and hire faculty for the programs. He will partner with industry to establish an advisory board, find internships for students, develop capstone projects and seek full-time employment opportunities for graduates of the program.

 “I feel truly blessed to join such an outstanding university,” he said. “I am looking forward to building a strong program in engineering to help serve the needs of the students and companies in our region. Our plan is to prepare students to hit the ground running when they graduate with a program that will be different from most other engineering programs. While there is much work to be done, we look forward to our inaugural semester in the fall of 2023.”

Baukal has nearly 38 years of college adjunct teaching experience and has served as lead adjunct instructor for combustion engineering at institutions including the University of Oklahoma, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the University of Alabama, Purdue University, John Brown University, the University of Tulsa, Oral Roberts University and the University of Utah.

He has taught a variety of other engineering-related coursework at Oklahoma State University, Philadelphia College of Textile and Science, University of Pennsylvania, John Zink Institute, Oral Roberts University, University of Tulsa and Burlington County College.

Baukal is a licensed professional engineer and a member of the American Association for Engineering Education. He is a member of several engineering, science, business, service and education honor societies and serves on multiple professional society boards. He is the inventor of eleven U.S. patents. Baukal was named Outstanding School of Engineering Faculty Member at Oral Roberts University for the 2020-2021 school year.

Baukal has authored and edited 14 books on industrial combustion and three books on engineering education. He has produced approximately 250 publications and presentations in the fields of gas-fired infrared heaters, gas injection into molten metals, oxygen-enhanced combustion, heat transfer, pollution emissions, and engineering education including book chapters.

 “Dr. Baukal is passionate about engineering education, and we are thankful that he is choosing to partner with OBU as we launch our first engineering degrees,” Dr. Larinee Dennis, OBU dean of business, health science and education, said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge from industry, experience in the classroom, and understanding of the ABET accreditation process.”

Beginning in the fall of 2023, three separate bachelor of science degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and systems engineering will begin under Baukal’s leadership. Each of the three 126-hour degree programs will be taught in a context that relates to the aerospace industry.

Enrollment is now open for the engineering program.