Richard Stewart receives UW System’s Teaching Excellence Award

 
Richard Stewart, UW-Superior professor of transportation and logistics management, was recently named a recipient of the UW System’s 2020 Teaching Excellence Award. The award recognizes outstanding teaching and is the UW System’s highest recognition for faculty and instructional academic staff. Stewart is the first from UW-Superior to receive the prestigious award. The award was to be presented in April at a Board of Regents meeting in Madison. However, due to COVID-19, the ceremony will be rescheduled.
Stewart joined the faculty at UW-Superior in 1999 to create a world-class transportation and logistics management (T&L) major. Drawing upon his extensive experience and knowledge in maritime, intermodal, rail, highway, pipeline and air transportation, he built a program from the ground up that is highly regarded nationally and worldwide.
 
Prior to coming to UWS, Stewart was a ship captain and fleet manager, and professor at the United States Merchant Marine Academy for 13 years and head of their Department of Marine Transportation. In a memorable moment at the 2019 Twin Ports Freight Showcase hosted at UWS, Craig Thompson, Wisconsin Secretary of Transportation, referred to Stewart as “the Vince Lombardi of the transportation industry.”
 
“Dr. Richard Stewart is a pioneer for UW-Superior as a founding faculty leader for the transportation and logistics management program within the School of Business and Economics,” said Maria Cuzzo, interim provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs.  “During his 25 years of service as an educator, Richard has developed highly engaged teaching and learning methods that transform the student experience. His students consistently are inspired by him and his role modeling. The partnerships he has formed with regional industry leaders, in-field internships, and passionate mentoring to students distinguish him as an outstanding faculty member at UW-Superior. He richly deserves this honor and recognition from UW System.”
 
In addition to serving as a professor of transportation and logistics management, Stewart is director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center and co-director of the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute. Under his leadership, the T&L program grew from three students to one of the largest at the university. He uses case studies, student presentations, guest speakers, simulation technology, team teaching and interactive lectures to prepare students for successful leadership careers in the transportation and logistics field.
 
“After decades of work, it is very satisfying to receive this recognition from UW System,” said Stewart. “This award is truly for our entire department and university, because there is no way I could have done this alone. I feel it is long overdue for someone from UW-Superior to receive this award and I am hopeful this is just the first of more to come.”
 
Students in the T&L program are highly sought by employers regionally, nationally and worldwide. Through Stewart’s efforts, the program averages 26 percent women, which surpasses the current average of ten percent in the industry, and 26 percent international students. His students have won at national and state competitions, such as the annual Intermodal Association of North America Student Competition and the Wisconsin Undergraduate Student Supply Chain Case Competition.
 
In addition to the Teaching Excellence Award from UW System, Stewart was selected to receive the UW-Superior Community Engagement Award, which recognizes employees for collaborating on projects that have a positive social impact and support opportunities for research and student learning.