Ronald C. Sheck earned a B.A. from Sacramento State College in 1961 and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1969. Prior to joining New Mexico State University in 1972, he was on the faculty of Ohio State University and has served as a visiting professor at the University of Oregon, Universidad San Carlos (Guatemala), Texas A & M University, New Mexico Highlands University, and at the Centro Panamericano de estudios e investigaciones geograficas in Quito, Ecuador. From 1967-69 he was employed by the USAID Mission to Guatemala as regional and urban planning administrator.
Various papers, articles, and reports reflect Professor Sheck's academic interest in urban transportation and intercity rail service. In 1979 he spent several months in Europe studying international urban transportation in border cities. During the summer of 1980 he attended a faculty workshop in urban transportation at SUNY-Buffalo and New York Polytechnic Institute as an UMTA Fellow. He has been proposed as a possible nominee to the Amtrak Board of Directors by senators, representatives, and governors from several states.