Burke and Clott get SUNY Maritime ABS Chairs

Dr. Burke (left) and Dr. Clott

JUNE 29, 2015 — The State University of New York Maritime College says that Dr. Richard Burke and Dr. Christopher Clott have been selected as its inaugural ABS chairs.  

The chairs have been funded with the help of a $3 million endowment from ABS and the appointments follows a search that drew applicants from far and wide. 

“The search committee was impressed by the depth and breadth of the applicant pool, and believes the selection of Drs. Burke and Clott provides tremendous opportunity for growth in our programs,” said SUNY Maritime Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. “The incumbents bring an impressive blend of academic and industry experience that will allow for applied research, intellectual pursuits and high-profile research that incorporates theoretical and real-world applications. We are excited to add them to our world-class faculty and excited about what the future holds,” Dr. Lynch added. 

Drs. Burke and Clott will assume their new roles in time for the fall term. 

Each incumbent will teach a pair of courses each semester, sharing their knowledge and expertise with students while also engaging in significant and high-profile research activities.  

Dr. Burke, who earned a S.M. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (Course XIII) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is the inaugural ABS Chair of Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture. 

A 1972 SUNY Maritime College honors graduate in Naval Architecture, Dr. Burke served as chair of the Department of Engineering and most recently as a Presidential Fellow to the State University of New York’s Research Foundation. He also holds a research appointment at Stony Brook University. 

“I am grateful to Maritime College and ABS for this opportunity,” said Dr. Burke. “This will give us the opportunity to expand research into ship design features and methodologies that will enhance environmental sustainability, survivability, and salvageability of vessels. Our students will have the opportunity to participate in research with very practical consequences.”

Dr. Clott brings years of industry and academic experience to the position as inaugural ABS Chair of Marine Transportation and Logistics. 

Most recently, Dr. Clott was the Dean of the College of Business and Health Sciences at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL, located near the largest intermodal port in North America. Previously, he served on the faculty of St. Xavier University (Chicago) and the California Maritime Academy, where he used his expertise in supply chain management to overhaul the program in International Business and Logistics.

With many industry contacts and an extensive record of publications, Dr. Clott hopes to invigorate the programs in Global Business and Transportation and in International Transportation Management.  He plans to focus on port and intermodal infrastructure issues, including last mile, congestion and public private partnerships for infrastructure funding. His current research focuses on port development and intermodalism.

“Freight transport is a complex industry, especially as supply chains lengthen across countries, seas and continents,” Dr. Clott said. “Rapidly growing world trade and pursuit of economies of scale have led to the introduction of mega-vessels with 12-19,000 TEU capacity, straining the infrastructure of major maritime gateways and putting pressure on intermodal connections to the hinterland.  The effective management of a supply chain to and from major inland ports has become a key factor in differentiating product and service offerings and gaining accessibility to global customers for competitive advantage.”

The search committee included: Ms. Aimee Bernstein, Vice President for University Relations; Mr. James Drogan, Director of Online Learning and Chair of the Department of Global Business and Transportation; Dr. Joseph Hoffman, Dean of Graduate Programs and Interim Chair of the Department of Engineering; Dr. Timothy Lynch, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Capt. Walter Nadolny, Presiding Officer of the Faculty and Chair of the Department of Marine Transportation; and Dr. Kathy Olszewski, Chair of the Department of Science.