For all of his professional life, Dr. Mac Stewart has been a committed advocate for students-especially those who are socioeconomically deprived. After receiving his Ph.D. in education at Ohio State in 1973, Stewart set out on a career that extended his efforts far beyond his job description to help Ohio State students grow both professionally and personally.

Early in his career, Stewart worked with then vice president John Mount to develop minority programs in what was called the University College. Later, as dean of that college, he worked not only to recruit a diverse student body, but also to help all students succeed. While researching freshman retention rates in 2001, he noticed that only 68 percent of African American males continued in college to graduation. In typical can-do fashion, Stewart immediately set about quietly but effectively solving the problem. He created and monitored the African American Male Resource Center, which by the 2006-7 academic year had raised the retention rate to 91.6 percent.

In 1994, famed civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan invited Stewart to participate in two organizations founded by Sullivan: the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH) and the African Africa--American Summit. With IFESH, Stewart has played many roles, chairing committees and serving on its board of directors. Over the years, he devised strategies that have helped thousands of African teachers improve their methods, benefiting more than a million students. In several African nations, where a school can operate for an entire year on only $5,000, Stewart and his wife, Tena, organized a Books for Africa program, which has provided thousands of much-needed books to struggling schools.

Stewart's expertise and commitment to student success has made him a sought-after participant on a number of boards. He was an editorial board member of the Journal of Multicultural Counselors and Development and has served the Negro Educational Review in several capacities: editor in chief, editorial board chair, and editorial board member. As a consultant, he has served numerous organizations, from the U.S. Department of Education, the Ohio Board of Regents, and the Columbus and Dayton public school systems to external evaluation teams for major universities.

Beyond academia, Stewart has served on a wide range of boards, including Children's Hospital, Buckeye Boys Ranch, Mary McCleod Bethune Center, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, and the Columbus Academy. In the 1980s he represented Ohio State in the Germany Today program, which introduced a group of young American leaders to issues being addressed by the West German government.