Retiring faculty member Paraska establishes scholarship

(Nov. 21, 2016) Retiring Kennesaw State University faculty member Susan Paraska and her husband have established a scholarship to support KSU students pursuing teacher preparation degrees or majors in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The Susan E. and William F. Paraska Endowed Scholarship is merit-based for students enrolled full time in an undergraduate program. Funds can be used for tuition, fees, room, board and any other educational expenses. A gift agreement to launch the scholarship took place last summer during an informal signing ceremony inside the KSU Foundation boardroom.

Kennesaw State students from the Bagwell College of Education, the College of Science and Mathematics, the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, and the College of Computing and Software Engineering are eligible to apply for the scholarship, which was first awarded this fall. 

Before retiring from KSU at the end of November, Paraska served as the director of planning, policy and performance, and was a senior lecturer of public administration for the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

The legacy statement issued by Paraska when establishing the scholarship reads: “We are first generation college graduates. We pursued a college education not because someone told us to, but because we imagined that beginning with a college education would lead us toward greater opportunities. And, in fact, having a college education did benefit us in ways that we were not even aware were possible. This scholarship is to motivate, not to reward. Our desire is that the recipient of this scholarship be forever in service to this country and to mankind by transforming their knowledge into solutions.”

From Left:

Susan E. and William F. Paraska
with Arlinda J. Eaton, Dean of the Bagwell College of Education
and Dr. Mark Anderson, Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics