The Bartels Fellowship, established in 1989 by Henry E. and Nancy H. Bartels, brings individuals of national stature and prominence to the University of New Haven. Every
semester, a Bartels Fellow is selected and that individual visits classes, meets with students, faculty, and staff at various points throughout the day, and delivers a formal address, known as the Bartels Lecture, to the entire UNH community. Former Bartels Fellows include author, journalist, poet and filmmaker Roya Hakakian, U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and former Chief Marketing Officer for Mastercard Lawrence Flanagan, who now serves as the Executive Dean of UNH’s College of Business. The goal of the fellowship is to enrich the experience and broaden the horizon of students, faculty, and staff at the university.
The fall 2011 Bartels Fellow was Arthur Steier ’89 EMBA, President and CEO of Schumann/Steier Inc. Steier was born in Brooklyn, raised in New Jersey, and earned degrees in marine engineering and nautical science from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. After working on oil tankers for a few years, Steier was faced with the decision of whether to continue a career at sea or pursue opportunities in business. Taking a leap of faith, he decided to become a shipbroker and negotiated contracts between ship owners and oil companies. He then opened an office in Houston, TX where he managed a fleet of chemical tankers and a few years after that became the Director of International Marketing for Moore & Munger, a refiner and marketer of petroleum products based in Fairfield, CT. Steier enrolled in the Executive MBA program at UNH to “fill the holes” in his business knowledge and, following that, acquired an equity stake in the company, eventually beginning a lubricant trading division now known as Schumann/Steier Inc. He now serves as President, Chief Executive Officer, and sole shareholder of the company, now based in Coral Gables, FL.
On October 27, 2011, Arthur Steier came to the UNH campus and first met with President Kaplan, the college deans, and various other administrative officers in the morning. He also spoke to students in financial accounting and business/industrial psychology classes, student leaders over lunch in Bartels, and the faculty of the College of Business. The main event of the day, the Bartels Lecture, took place at 11:00 a.m. in Dodds Theater. The theater was packed with students, faculty, staff, and many others members of the community. Steier’s lecture, titled “Career Risk In the 21st Century,” began with an explanation of the labels and warnings surrounding smoking and drug use and how an unwanted career move can also take years off your life. Steier described how his decision to become a shipbroker resulted in him leaving a job that paid $80,000 for one that paid $20,000. Yet, he found it was “the most interesting job I could find,” and it eventually led to the position he has today.
Steier also wanted to let the audience know that there is “no such thing as a self-made man.” Steier spoke on the “advantage” he had due to growing up with little money, because it allowed him to learn self-reliance early on in his life. However, he insists that he isn’t a self-made man because that label only takes inheritance into account and ignores the friends, business partners, mentors, and education someone has had along the way.
Going back to career risk, Steier spoke on how debt is a tool essential to a company that, used correctly, can benefit a business. The same applies to individuals; the ability to manage our debt gives us the right to say “no,” which enables us to control our career. The lack of this ability results in the “delegation” of our career instead. While we can’t control the economy, we can control our approach to it, and the need to take calculated risks is as vital as it always has been. It’s important to “find your uniqueness” and define what success means to you. Success is a by-product of doing what you love and while the road to your goals may change and vary along the way, you must never lose sight of the goals themselves.
Following the lecture, President Kaplan gave Steier a Tiffany Clock as a gift for coming to the university. Kaplan also acknowledged the Bartels Family, who could not attend the lecture this year, as well as Isabella Dodds, whose contributions led to the building of Dodds Hall. The Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) President, Scott Kazar, as well as Vice President Jake Pollack awarded Steier with a certificate on behalf of the UNH student body. Lastly, graphic design student Ashley Niro, who designed the promotion poster for the Bartels Lecture, was acknowledged and awarded for her contribution.
According to Steier, the most important lesson to remember is to “always take personal responsibility for your future,” because no one can take that away from you unless you give it to them.
