Hewitt named Loyola’s Faculty Member of the Year
Professor Mike Hewitt (center) accepting the University’s highest faculty honor from President Mark Reed (left) and Provost Doug Woods.
Mike Hewitt, professor of supply chain management and Ralph Marotta Chair in Free Enterprise, received the Faculty Member of the Year award at Loyola University Chicago’s 2025 University Convocation.
“I am very honored to receive this award,” said Hewitt. “I am grateful to have an opportunity to play a role in the success of our students.”
This annual award honors a Loyola faculty member who demonstrates high achievement in three areas: teaching, scholarship or creative work, and service. Hewitt is the second Quinlan School of Business faculty member to receive the award in three years. In 2023, Professor Jenna Drenten was honored as faculty member of the year.
International renown
Michael Behnam, dean of the Quinlan School of Business, was pleased that Hewitt received the award.
“Mike is without a doubt one of our most productive faculty members, excels in the classroom, and is always willing to take on additional service requests,” he said.
An expert in efficient and sustainable transportation and logistics systems, Hewitt also recently earned two prestigious recognitions. He was named a Fulbright Scholar, which will take him to Australian mining operations in early 2026, and he was selected as an Amazon Scholar to solve complex, large-scale issues for the online retailer. Read more about Hewitt's work with the Fulbright Scholar and Amazon Scholar programs.
Other major corporations, including Bayer Crop Science, Exxon Mobil, Saia Motor Freight, Schneider, and Yellow Roadway, have also turned to Hewitt for assistance on major logistics decisions.
In addition to his business consulting, he is a prolific scholar, with a long list of research articles published in top journals. This includes more than 50 articles in journals such as INFORMS Journal on Computing, Operations Research, and Transportation Science. During the 2024-25 academic year alone, he had seven articles accepted or published.
“Throughout his career, Mike has sought to create and disseminate knowledge that is impactful to both science and practice,” said Dean Behnam.
Ever humble, Hewitt attributes his research success to those around him.
“I have been far more successful in my research career than I’d ever anticipated or expected and firmly believe that has been enabled by my colleagues at Loyola,” said Hewitt.
Student focus
Students in Hewitt’s classes benefit from his technical knowledge and international insights. He focuses on the skills students need to be professionally successful and connects the topics he discusses in class to mission-related challenges such as food security.
One student wrote that Hewitt is “truly a great professor. He made sure we understood the material and made a safe space for everyone.” Hewitt has also made an impression on students around the world, teaching classes in France and advising PhD students and post-doctoral research throughout Europe.
Outside the classroom, he leads Quinlan’s Supply Chain and Sustainability Center, which hosts online seminars for students and professionals on timely and mission-related topics in supply chain such as global trade, tariffs, and sustainable agriculture.
“Mike is an asset to the business school and beyond,” said Dean Behnam.