A Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice faculty member has been named a fellow of the prestigious American Society of Criminology.
Eric Stewart is one of four highly distinguished criminologists who will be honored during the society’s annual conference Nov. 15 in Philadelphia. The honor recognizes scholars who have made significant contributions to the discipline, contributed to career development of other criminologists or participated in organizational activities within the society.
“I’m definitely humbled and honored,” Stewart said. “The American Society of Criminology is the premier flagship professional organization for criminologists.”
For more than 20 years Stewart’s work has been widely cited on topics covering criminal justice, corrections and crime and the intersections of race, ethnicity, communities and the exercise of informal and formal social control.
Stewart will be recognized for his collective body of scholarly work and his service to the association. Previously, he served on various committees as well as the executive counselor and vice president of the society. In his role as vice president, Stewart was editor of the Criminologist, a newsletter that is produced and disseminated six times a year.
“We are so very fortunate to have Dr. Stewart among our faculty,” said Thomas G. Blomberg, dean and Sheldon L. Messinger Professor of Criminology. “He is a gifted and productive scholar, and he continues to demonstrate his commitment to the future of the field through leadership and service in the ASC and through his amazing mentorship of so many of our students.”
It was Dan Mears, the Mark C. Pafford professor of Criminology, who recommended Stewart for the recognition.
“He supports his colleagues at Florida State University as well as students, young scholars and others throughout the country, and he does so in an unassuming way that brings out the best in people,” Mears wrote in the nomination. “At the same time, his intellectual acumen and constant curiosity push all those with whom he works to produce rigorous, thoughtful and powerful advances in the science and understanding of crime and justice.”
Stewart said mentoring young people and seeing them develop is one of the aspects of his job that he greatly enjoys.
“It’s an honor to watch them grow and work with them,” Stewart said. “We also get so much support here to conduct our research, serve on boards and help the next generation of criminologists. Our dean has been supportive, and I work with a number of colleagues who are just spectacular. Many of them also deserve these types of awards and should be named fellows. Those are just some of the joys of being here at FSU in criminology.”
Stewart also was recently selected by the Florida Education Fund as the 2017 Outstanding Mentor Award for his work with the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program.