“It’s great to be off the bench and back in the game,” he told a crowd of about 800 who attended the pomp and circumstance gathering to mark the milestone in the school’s history.
Proponents say appointing a civilian leader for up to five years at a time will bring continuity and more time to set a direction at the national security-related educational and research program. The school bestows master’s and doctoral degrees to military and civilian students and conducts technical and scientific studies. A military commandant typically stays at the helm two to three years before heading to another assignment.
The chancellorship pays between $153,848 to $165,300 a year, although the exact amount wasn’t immediately provided.
Stewart, a Milwaukee, Wisc., native, retired from the Air Force a decade ago after a 34-year career and then spent time in academia.
“The bottom line is, public service has been my life,” he said in an interview.
In an era of budget and personnel cuts, Stewart emphasized AFIT will produce “relevant, high-impact” students and technologies that meet the Air Force and others needs at an “affordable cost.”
“From my point of view, the most important thing we do is create a passion for lifelong learning,” he said.
A Department of Defense reorganization that reduced, downgraded or converted the number of top-level military and civilian posts to create more efficiency paved the pay for the civilian chancellorship, said Lt. Gen. David S. Fadok, commander and president of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Fadok attended the event Tuesday.
The new organizational structure mirrors the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, Calif.
Stewart is a former AFIT associate professor of management and served as command civil engineer and director of plans and programs at the Air Force Materiel Command headquarters at Wright-Patterson.
Since he retired from the military, he led initiatives at The Ohio State University and Michigan Technological University, focused on national security-related research and studies.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, both members of their respective legislative chambers’ Armed Services Committee, introduced legislation to set standards for the appointment of military and civilian leadership at the institute.
Air Force Col. Timothy Lawrence will become vice chancellor and remain AFIT commandant, a role he has had for about a year.
The position of vice commandant remains in question, Stewart said. Navy Capt. Tim Duening, who serves in the role today, is expected to retire this month, the chancellor said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2363 or bbarber@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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