Regular registration for Winter quarter begins

12:15 PM Registration and Networking - 70th Anniversary Industry Workshop

12:45 PM Welcome

Bret Johnson, Interim Director, NUTC

1:00 – 2:30 PM Session 1: Talent, Leadership, and Purpose in Preparation for the Next 30 Years

Moderator: Elsy Ocejo, Fractional COO/CSCO
J. Edward Colgate, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Allen and
Johnnie Breed Senior Professor in Design; Director, NSF Engineering Research Center
on Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND)
Xiaopeng Li, Harvey D. Spangler Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Director, USDOT Rural Autonomous Vehicle Program for People Movement, University of Wisconsin, Madison

2:30 – 3:00 PM Break

3:00 – 3:30 PM Presentation: Retrospective of the Transportation Center over 7 Decades

Rachel Cole, Head of Northwestern Transportation Library

3:30 – 5:00 PM Session 2: 70 Years Forward: NUTC's Legacy and the Next Chapter in Transportation & Supply Chain Systems

Moderator: Joseph Schofer, Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern
Ben Mclean, CEO, Ruan Transportation Management Systems
Ian Savage, Associate Chair, Professor of Instruction, Department of Economics, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern
Karen Smilowitz, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Northwestern; James N. and Margie M. Krebs Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences,
McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science; Professor of Operations, Kellogg
School of Management
Jeff Silver, CEO, Master Logistics Systems; Chair, NUTC Business Advisory Council (BAC)
Justin Zubrod, Managing Partner, Justin Zubrod & Company; former Chair, NUTC BAC

Related Info

Register Now

While Northwestern celebrates its 175th Anniversary this year, the NUTC - Northwestern University Transportation Center is celebrating its 70th anniversary of operations. In 1954 the Northwestern Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Center and in 1955 Franklin M. Kremil, who established the Traffic Institute of Northwestern in 1936, was named the acting director. The Center opened for formal operations on October 3, 1956.

Following the NUTC Fall 2026 Business Advisory Council & NUTC 70th Anniversary Dinner, NUTC's featured 70th Anniversary speaker is Karen Jones, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of New Product Development, Ryder System.

Her talk is titled – The Times They Are a Changin’.

This is an invitation only event.

TBD

Dissertation, PhD Final Exam, and change of grade forms due to TGS for Fall PhD candidates

Thanksgiving Vacation begins at 6:00 PM (No classes, University offices closed)

Fall Classes Resume

Fall classes end

Fall Exams begin

Fall exams end

The ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 12 in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive.

Related Info

Northwestern University Transportation Center's Hagestad Sandhouse Rail Group invites you to attend a special, annual holiday lunch presentation at Maggiano's Little Italy, Chicago featuring…

NUTC Sandhouse Rail Group Holiday lunch presentation

How many Class One railroads will there be this time next year?

Anthony B. Hatch, Senior Transportation Analyst & Financial Consultant, ABH Consulting

· Wednesday, December 16, 2026 @ 11:30am CT

· Maggiano's Little Italy, Chicago - 111 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL

Agenda

11:30 AM - Check In, Networking, Cash Bar
12:00 PM - Family Style Luncheon
12:30 PM - Presentation by Mr. Hatch

Registration required in advance by Tuesday, December 9:

· $75, Online credit card payment (in advance, recommended)

· $80, Check payment – please email Andrea Cehaic, andrea.cehaic@northwestern.edu

Anthony B. Hatch has been a senior transportation analyst on Wall Street for over twenty years, starting at Salomon brothers; proceeding to Argus, Painewebber, and most recently at NatWest Markets (USA) prior to starting his independent analyst/consultancy in 1999 and working with CV Brokerage. Mr. Hatch’s coverage has been focused on the freight transportation segment, particularly surface transportation. Mr. Hatch is known for his knowledge of the intermodal area, where the various modes of freight transport converge, on which he has held several dozen specialized conferences.

Winter Recess Starts - University Closed Through January 1st, 2027

Winter classes begin

No classes- Martin Luther King Jr. Day