AMES, Iowa – Timothy Stewart has been named the newest holder of the Harmon Family Professorship in Forestry at Iowa State University.
Stewart, associate professor in natural resource ecology and management, was recognized during a medallion ceremony on March 24.
“I am pleased Dr. Stewart has accepted this role. He is a strong leader and a lifelong learner who is passionate about improving not only himself, but those around him,” said Daniel J. Robison, holder of the endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “His plans to help faculty and graduate students in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management improve their teaching skills is admirable and will greatly benefit the department, as well as current and future instructors.”
An Iowa State faculty member since 2003, Stewart has taught several courses, ranging from Principles of Biology to Natural History of Iowa Vertebrates to Field Ecology Research and Teaching. He was selected for the professorship, in part, based on his efforts to incorporate hands-on learning into his classes.
In this named role, Stewart plans to design a structured mentoring program for Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management members. Faculty and graduate students in the department will be encouraged to participate voluntarily in the program. The mentoring program will include classroom visits and teaching observations to provide constructive feedback and help faculty improve their teaching methods.
Efforts are already underway, with the start this year of a teaching learning community in the department. Members have been meeting monthly to discuss teaching-related topics.
“I’m grateful to all persons who make this Harmon Family Professorship possible, including the many kind colleagues and students that have supported my teaching and scholarship efforts,” Stewart said. “I look forward to opportunities this professorship provides to serve my department in new ways.”
Stewart has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Itaca College. He studied biology with an emphasis on aquatic ecology to obtain his master’s degree from State University of New York at Brockport and his doctoral degree from Bowling Green State University.
This professorship position honors the late Wendell Harmon, a nationally recognized forestry expert who graduated from Iowa State College in 1932 with a bachelor’s degree in forestry. Harmon led a distinguished career with the U.S. Forest Service before he died in 1999. The estate of his sister, Eleanor B. Harmon Cowen, made the professorship position possible.