As a child, Stuart R. Bell was fascinated by what made things go. Combustion engines powered nearly every aspect of travel and work, and he was captivated by the designs and processes by which they operated.
He said his early interests in machines and science may seem unusual to some, but growing up in West Texas left little to do. So, he tinkered with tools and parts in his family’s garage to “build things or make things better.”
When Bell matriculated to junior high school, his eagerness to learn and experiment was reciprocated by faculty, who encouraged him and motivated him to be inquisitive about how things work. His high school teachers challenged him further; for instance, his physics teacher assigned him extra book chapters beyond the class lessons.
“Having great teachers led me to figure out what I wanted to do,” he said. “I’m going to build things, learn how things work and improve things.”
This foundation led Bell to pursue engineering at Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering in 1979 and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1981. He worked for Mobil Research and Development (part of Mobil Oil at the time) next.
“At Mobil, I had the opportunity to apply my engineering background in real-world, innovative ways. Working hands-on with advanced technology expanded my technical skills and deepened my knowledge base, giving me the expertise that has continued to serve me throughout my career, certainly in how I teach and engage with students,“ said Bell.
His first tenure-track appointment was at The University of Alabama, where he cut his teeth as a young researcher, teacher and later department head before transitioning to dean of engineering at the University of Kansas and executive vice president and provost at Louisiana State University. In 2015, he was appointed president at UA, where he has led tremendous growth in enrollment, education and research opportunities and private philanthropy.
Bell holds numerous accolades for his research and leadership, but the creation of the Stuart R. Bell Distinguished Chair of Engineering in November 2024 beautifully links the arc of his career. It honors the core focus that has defined his success at every stage of his journey: a deep commitment to discovery and to students. This recognition not only reflects his academic achievements but also underscores his lasting impact on the generations of students he has mentored and inspired.
“It was a great surprise, and I feel honored and humbled by it,” Bell said.
The Stuart R. Bell Distinguished Chair of Engineering, established through a contribution from Cappie and Ed Drummond, will assist the College of Engineering in attracting and retaining nationally recognized scholars and experts in the field of engineering who will elevate the quality of the college’s teaching, research and service. The Bell Distinguished Chair is not limited to a particular discipline and will be used across the College of Engineering to recognize exceptional professors who are excelling in all aspects of being a member of its faculty.
The chaired position is one of seven faculty endowments that received gift commitments in fiscal year 2024 during The Rising Tide 2.0 Capital Campaign, which aims to add 75 faculty endowments as part of the “Prominence” pillar.
Bell said the endowed chair in his honor reflects the powerful bonds between faculty and students, emphasizing the opportunities faculty have to impact young people during “the most exciting time of their lives.” To fully maximize this period and fulfill the university’s core mission, he stressed the importance of faculty engaging students through their research, fostering deeper learning and discovery. Bell developed this outlook early at UA, adding lab exercises to the first classes he taught in propulsion systems to help students broaden what they were learning in the textbook. He said he saw a need to bring industry experience to the classroom and said this active learning approach wasn’t as common for undergraduates then compared to modern curricula.
Bell carried this focus throughout his first 16 years at UA, including seven as the head of the department of mechanical engineering. In that role, he discovered he could help create greater student outcomes by empowering faculty and staff.
“As you’re hiring faculty and building your department, you start to wonder, ‘How can I use more of my time and efforts on helping them be successful and enabling their success?’” he said. “That’s really what administration should be, whether it’s leading a department, a college or at the university level.”
His time as department head included the founding of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, an interdisciplinary research center that still exists on campus, and motivated him to pursue greater leadership roles in higher education.
For his work, Bell was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2023. He was awarded the Society of Automotive Engineers’ Ralph Teetor Award for outstanding contributions to research and teaching and the T. Morris Hackney Faculty Leadership Award from the UA College of Engineering. He has also received the Richard S. Woodbury Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, among other honors.
“(UA) has grown its number of students and graduates, and our research has grown,” he said. “But remember, we engage our students in that process. We’re having an incredible capital campaign, and because we’re getting great chaired positions, those are resources that will enable our students to be legendary in their fields.
“It goes back to the most important thing that we do: help young people dream at a level larger than they think they can dream,” Bell added. “Then, we help them grow into incredible young people and achieve those dreams, both of which we do really, really well here.”