Stephen Mizwa
Encyclopedia
Stephen Paul Mizwa was the founder and long-time president of the Kosciuszko Foundation
, a Polish-American scholarly and cultural institution headquartered in New York City
.
, where an earlier Polish immigrant, Joseph Stonina, lived.
Though accepted at Princeton University
, Mizwa entered Amherst College
, which granted him a full scholarship. In 1920 he graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and the following year he received a master's degree from Harvard University
. In 1921, aged 29, he became an assistant professor of economics at Drake University
.
In 1923, at the request of the Polish government, Dr. Mizwa organized the Polish American Scholarship Committee, among the first exchange programs with renascent Poland
. Five of the first eight students sponsored by the program came to the United States to study business administration and economics
at prestigious American universities.
The Polish American Scholarship Committee was the embryo of the Kosciuszko Foundation
subsequently established in 1925, a scholarly and cultural institution that Mizwa would head for several decades. When Mizwa gained financial support from Samuel M. Vauclain
, president of the Baldwin Locomotive Works
, which had sold locomotives to Poland, the fledgling foundation was well launched.
Kosciuszko Foundation
Kosciuszko Foundation is a charitable foundation based in New York City. It was created by Stephen Mizwa to fund programs that promote Polish-American intellectual and artistic exchange.-History:...
, a Polish-American scholarly and cultural institution headquartered in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Life
Stephen Mizwa came to the United States in 1909, aged about 17. His first goal was to reach Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
, where an earlier Polish immigrant, Joseph Stonina, lived.
Though accepted at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Mizwa entered Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, which granted him a full scholarship. In 1920 he graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and the following year he received a master's degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. In 1921, aged 29, he became an assistant professor of economics at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
.
In 1923, at the request of the Polish government, Dr. Mizwa organized the Polish American Scholarship Committee, among the first exchange programs with renascent Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Five of the first eight students sponsored by the program came to the United States to study business administration and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at prestigious American universities.
The Polish American Scholarship Committee was the embryo of the Kosciuszko Foundation
Kosciuszko Foundation
Kosciuszko Foundation is a charitable foundation based in New York City. It was created by Stephen Mizwa to fund programs that promote Polish-American intellectual and artistic exchange.-History:...
subsequently established in 1925, a scholarly and cultural institution that Mizwa would head for several decades. When Mizwa gained financial support from Samuel M. Vauclain
Samuel M. Vauclain
thumb|Samuel Matthews Vauclain was an American engineer, inventor of the Vauclain compound locomotive, and president of the Baldwin Locomotive Works. He was awarded the John Scott Award and the Elliott Cresson Medal by The Franklin Institute in 1891...
, president of the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
, which had sold locomotives to Poland, the fledgling foundation was well launched.
Works
- Nicolaus Copernicus, 1543–1943, New York, Kosciuszko FoundationKosciuszko FoundationKosciuszko Foundation is a charitable foundation based in New York City. It was created by Stephen Mizwa to fund programs that promote Polish-American intellectual and artistic exchange.-History:...
, 1943. - Frederic Chopin, 1810–1849, Greenwood Press Reprint, 1983.
External links
- http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetailPrint.aspx?PersonID=1253568336 biographical note about the late Prof. Stephen Paul Mizwa