Curchack Endowed Scholarship to Help International Graduate Students
Sending greetings from Cappadocia,
Turkey are Peggy and Dr. Mark Curchack
who understand the importance of
international experiences as part of a
student’s education. The couple has
created an endowed scholarship to
increase the presence of international
students on Arcadia’s campus.During his 31 years of service to Arcadia, Dr. Mark Curchack, former Dean of Graduate Studies and Assistant Professor of Anthropology, involved himself in countless giving-back projects. He coauthored From Female Seminary to Comprehensive University: A 150-Year History of Beaver College and Arcadia University with Dr. Samuel Cameron and Dr. Michael Berger. He has become the resident expert and gives a number of talks on the history and architecture of Grey Towers Castle, and he has helped to solve various logistical problems during his tenure.
He began his Arcadia career teaching Anthropology and now finds himself wearing multiple hats: Associate Vice President for Planning and Assessment, Executive Director of the President's Office, and Secretary to the Board.
Curchack also has involved himself in a variety of educational organizations at the national level, such as the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education, for which he served as Chair and received its inaugural Award for Distinguished Service. In addition, he is the Treasurer of the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology and for the 21st Century Partnership for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematices) Education, and is a senior officer of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Society for College and University Planning.
With his obvious commitment to education, it's no surprise that Dr. Curchack and his wife of 38 years, Peggy, are now giving in the form of a scholarship. Through the Mark and Peggy Curchack Endowed Scholarship for Graduate Education, an international student will receive financial assistance while pursuing an Arcadia graduate degree.
Having traveled to more than 50 countries, Peggy and Mark understand the importance of international experiences. "We consider ourselves citizens of the world and are proud of the international mission of Arcadia," says Curchack. "[But] one feature we lack is a substantial presence of international students, so anything we can do to encourage that is good." With this new scholarship, Arcadia will have another tool to support students from abroad.
"Our hope is that these students can pursue and finish their degrees without the worry of being able to afford it," Curchack concludes.
