Stuart Ray Bell (born 1957) is an American academic. He was named the 29th president of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

, located in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

, on July 15, 2015.

Early life and education

Stuart R. Bell was born in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

, in 1957.Bell Named UA President
''UA News'', Jun 18, 2015 He graduated from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States, situated in East-Central Texas in the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin, ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering in 1979. He received his master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M in 1981 and 1986, respectively.Melissa Brown
LSU's Stuart Bell tapped for University of Alabama presidency
''The Birmingham News'', June 9, 2015

Career

A 30-year veteran of higher education, Bell started his career as an assistant senior engineer for Mobil Research and Development Corp. in Dallas. First joining the

Melissa Brown
University of Alabama Board of Trustees unanimously approves new president
''The Birmingham News'', June 18, 2015 in 1986 as an assistant professor in the College of Engineering's department of mechanical engineering, Bell was named department head nine years later. With research interest in combustion engines, Bell has expertise in alternative fuels for engines, innovative engine designs, and modeling of engine and engine processes. He directed the University of Alabama's Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies from 1998 to 2002. Immediately prior to becoming president of the University of Alabama, Bell was executive vice president and provost at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. During Bell's tenure there and earlier at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

, where he served as dean of its College of Engineering, those institutions opened new facilities, and student recruitment, retention and success were emphasized. Bell was awarded the Society of Automotive Engineers' Ralph Teetor Award for Outstanding Contributions to Research and Teaching in 1988. He was presented the T. Morris Hackney Faculty Leadership Award for the UA College of Engineering in 2001, and, in 2005, he received the Richard S. Woodbury Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Personal life

He is married to Susan Bell. They have two sons, Stuart and Stephen, and a daughter, Stacy.

References

External links

"Meet the President"
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Stuart R. 1951 births Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Louisiana State University faculty People from Abilene, Texas Presidents of the University of Alabama Texas A&M University alumni University of Alabama faculty University of Kansas faculty