He Dreamt Of Coaching Basketball; Now He’s Campus President At Kendall
Bryan Stewart has a penchant for aiming high.
As a five-year-old, he played basketball at his local YMCA in Denton, Texas. As his game and body developed, coaches inspired the gangly teenager to pursue a career in coaching.
“‘You’re not gonna be a coach; pick something else,’” Stewart recalls his father James H. Stewart, Jr., who was president of the University of Texas at Tyler at the time, saying.
So Stewart decided to shoot his shot in the subject he knew best—mathematics.
After attaining a doctorate in higher education from the University of North Texas in 1992, Stewart taught at Tarrant County College for 10 years. Eventually, he served as dean of the school’s mathematics and science departments for 13 years and vice president of academic affairs for more than a decade.
In 2018, Stewart became the president of Miami Dade College’s Medical Campus.
Nearly six years later, the 62-year-old is playing the same position, but at a different campus.
On June 10, Stewart was appointed president of Kendall Campus. He replaces Anthony Cruz, who was tabbed president at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
“I love the medical world, I love career technology, I love technical programs, but being on a campus with academic and athletic programs—which I’m really excited to be a part of [as] a college athlete—this campus fits my DNA,” Stewart said.
During Stewart’s tenure at Medical Campus, enrollment increased by 15 percent and the nursing program expanded by more than 30 percent.
Passing rates for the NCLEX, the nationwide nursing licensure exam, also increased from scores in the low 70s to scores in the 80s and 90s, surpassing national and state averages.
“Those are really amazing numbers,” Stewart said. “And I’m really proud because that has allowed our nurses to get jobs immediately.”
Under his stewardship, Medical Campus launched the Center for Learning, Innovation and Simulation, a five-story healthcare facility designed to help students obtain experience in the medical field, in 2019.
The campus also generated more than $3.3 million in scholarships and expanded its health science programs. Among the new additions: bachelor of applied science in clinical lab sciences, an associate in science in radiation therapy—which will launch this fall—and the endoscopic technician, central sterile processing technician and licensed practical nursing programs.
“Dr. Stewart brings with him a wealth of experience, a steadfast dedication to student success, and a remarkable record of dynamic leadership,” said College President Madeline Pumariega in an email sent on June 5 announcing his appointment.
Despite his success at Medical, Stewart’s heart has remained tethered to teaching and mathematics.
Two years ago, Stewart, who swears he can “teach math to anyone,” collaborated with the Kendall Campus to launch the ModMath pilot program, an initiative aimed at increasing completion rates in mathematics courses.
The program, which has expanded to Wolfson, West and North Campus, divides curriculum into modules that track students’ progress. It also implements ALEKS, a software that uses artificial intelligence to cater to students’ learning needs.
At Kendall Campus, Stewart plans to get to know administrators, faculty and staff and be “visible” to students to assess how to serve them.
“I don’t want to make change for change’s sake,” Stewart said. “They don’t need a president to come in and rock the world; they need a president to enhance where things are.”
Where things are can be attributed to Cruz.
The 55-year-old, who oversaw Kendall Campus for more than two years, spearheaded a slew of initiatives to stimulate student engagement.
They include hosting social events like Coladas with Cruz and Pizza with the Prez, launching an Esports room and a Career Closet in Student Life and bringing a Chick-fil-A and Starbucks to campus.
In 2022, Cruz launched Keeping Up With Kendall, a social media show highlighting community leaders. The show’s name eventually became the campus’ slogan.
Cruz launched similar initiatives at Hialeah, where he served as president for approximately two and a half years.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with the students, faculty and staff on both campuses and I wish Dr. Bryan Stewart the best,” Cruz said. “ I know that he is a strong community builder as well and that he’ll do very great things at Kendall Campus.”
Stewart aims to continue the legacy Cruz built that champions the student experience.
“I can still play full-court basketball,” Stewart chuckled. “Looking forward to seeing if the coach will let me practice with our team.”
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