Lazerson receives GSE Endowed chair

After serving as an administrator and an educator at the University for seventeen years, Graduate School of Education professor Marvin Lazerson was rewarded the Howard P. and Judith R. Berkowitz Chair in Education earlier this week.

As the former GSE dean and interim Provost of the University, Lazerson's accomplishments as an academic and a professor have made him an instrumental figure both at the Penn and in the field of higher education.

According to GSE Dean Susan Fuhrman, Lazerson's receipt of the chair represents his longstanding dedication to teaching, leadership and the pursuit of academics.

"Marvin is a true leader and pioneer in the history of American education." Fuhrman said in her remarks at a reception held for Lazerson on Tuesday afternoon. "There's no one like Marvin who can bring people together to share their experiences in a scholarly context in a way that helps us all learn."

Throughout his tenure at Penn, Lazerson has played an integral part of the development of GSE.

In addition to serving as Dean, Lazerson has worked to multiply the school's endowment and research funding, recruit longstanding faculty members and helped advance the school's reputation.

He now teaches classes in the history of education and the reform of teaching and learning in post-secondary education.

In his acceptance speech, Lazerson said that his receipt of the chair signifies his dedication to GSE and the field of education.

"I accept this chair with enormous emotion -- more than I can actually put into words," Lazerson said. "I accept it as a statement that you can believe in and care about a place, and still be a scholar and a leader."

During his speech, he noted how much the field of education has evolved since he has worked at Penn.

"I started my career as a graduate student at a time when the message to anyone at a selective university was to publish like crazy, write a lot... and not to pay any attention to the school or the department or the university or college you were a member of," Lazerson said. "The way to the top was to speak outside of your home."

Nevertheless, Lazerson remarked that his initial perception of academics was proven wrong when he arrived at Penn, largely due to the fact that he soon realized that his duties as a professor and administrator had a much wider scope.

"What I discovered here... was that there was something really special about making the place you live in better," Lazerson said. "While I never gave up on being a scholar... speaking and participating with those in and around this campus to build a place that one can really be proud of has been a spectacular gift."

In addition to his work at the University, Lazerson has authored and co-authored five books, not to mention several articles. He has received numerous grants throughout his career, and was the winner of GSE's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1997.

Lazerson received his Batchelor's Degree and Master's Degree in history at Columbia University, followed by his Ph.D in history Harvard University.

According to Judith Berkowitz (CW, '64), one of the endowed chair's two philanthropists, Lazerson's receipt of this honor has been due for a long time.

"When we first gave this chair over five years ago, it was our fondest wish that Marvin would be the recipient," Berkowitz said. "It's taken a few years, but it's finally happened, and we are very, very thrilled."

GSE Assistant to the Dean Tom Kecskemethy was also thrilled that Lazerson was receiving this honor.

"He lives a great life, and he's well deserving of the Berkowitz chair," Kecskemethy said. "He's probably one of the most revered faculty members who has contributed academically to the life of this school."

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