The Pratt Institute held a memorial service on its Brooklyn campus on Sept. 18, celebrating the life and legacy of President Emeritus Dr. Thomas F. Schutte (1935–2025).
Dr. Schutte led Pratt from 1993 to 2017, a transformative 24-year tenure that reshaped the campus, doubled enrollment and deepened the Institute’s ties with Brooklyn. He was instrumental in projects such as the Pratt Sculpture Park and the revitalization of Myrtle Avenue, leaving a lasting impact on both the Pratt community and the borough.
“Tom understood the transformative power of a creative education for our students, our communities and our city,” Pratt President Frances Bronet said in her remarks. “Through his work, partnerships, and munificence, he has ensured the legacy of a Pratt education.”
Before arriving at Pratt in 1993, Schutte was the president of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for nearly a decade and, prior to that role, was president of Philadelphia College of Art (later University of the Arts) and the assistant dean of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and geography from Valparaiso University, an MBA from Indiana University, and a PhD in business administration from the University of Colorado. He later received honorary degrees from St. Thomas Aquinas College (Doctor of Fine Arts) and Pratt (Doctor of Humane Letters, presented at his final Commencement as Pratt president).
When Schutte arrived at Pratt in the early 1990s, it was a critical time for the Institute: Pratt’s facilities had deteriorated, enrollment had waned and vacant storefronts and crime were high in the surrounding neighborhood. The Institute was facing a deficit after years of budget shortfalls. Schutte, with optimism that would define his presidency, recognized that to cultivate the creativity of its talented students and support its gifted faculty and staff, Pratt needed a learning environment to match. Through his tireless efforts and spirited collaboration, he worked to make the campus and its surrounding neighborhood thrive.
After his first year as president, he had eliminated the deficit and put Pratt on a new track that would pick up momentum in the following years as he grew the Institute’s endowment, scholarships and grants. This helped to change Pratt from a mostly local commuter school to a residential campus that attracts students from around the world.
The school's renewal under Dr. Schutte spurred a major growth of the student body, from 2,992 in 1993 to 4,668 in 2017. The faculty increased to 153 full-time and 1,173 part-time members. The undergraduate and graduate degree offerings almost doubled, including new programs in cutting-edge areas like information experience design, performance and performance studies, placemaking and game design, as well as minors in social practice and sustainability in art and design.
In addition to his work at Pratt, Schutte served as chair of the Brooklyn Arts Council, on the board of advisors of the Historic Districts Council, on the board of the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation, and on the selection committee for the Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation.
Born on December 19, 1935, Schutte was the son of Lindsley R. and Marion Healy Schutte of Rochester, N.Y. He is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Tess Lansing Schutte; their two sons, Douglas and David; seven grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and Schutte’s sister, Caroline Chandler.
