Beaver

Szymczak will give presentation for New Brighton Historical Society

Robert Szymczak, associate professor of history at Penn State Beaver, will give a free presentation for the New Brighton Historical Society, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 115 North Mercer Avenue, New Brighton. His topic is "The New Wave Hits Western Pennsylvania - Eastern and Southern Europeans and the Creation of a Stereotype (1900-1930).” The public is invited to attend.

Szymczak is the recipient of numerous Penn State honors, including the University’s prestigious George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board Excellence in Research Award, and the Penn State Commonwealth College Excellence in Teaching Award. In addition, he is a three-time recipient of the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board Excellence in Teaching Award.

In January Szymczak received the Swastek Award for best article of the year given by the Editorial Board of the Polish American Studies journal at an awards ceremony hosted by the Polish Consulate in Chicago. He was honored for his article, "Cold War Crusader: Arthur Bliss Lane and the Private Committee to Investigate the Katyn Massacre, 1949-1952.”

Szymczak joined Beaver campus in 1983 and during that time has taught a wide variety of courses, including History of the Holocaust 1933-1945, History of Fascism and Nazism, and History of the Soviet Union.

He holds a doctorate in modern world history from Carnegie Mellon University; a doctorate in recent American history and politics from Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK; a master’s degree in liberal studies from Duquesne University; a master’s degree in history/international relations and a bachelor’s degree in history and literature from West Virginia University, and a certificate of study from Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.

Szymczak can be contacted at rxs16@psu.edu or 724-773-3895.

Last Updated September 17, 2012

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