Herbert Van Schaack ’51 is still giving back to the students who shaped a career that spanned nearly 40 years.
Van Schaack, professor emeritus of the SUNY Oswego psychology department
Herbert Van Schaack ’51 with his scholarship
recipient, Sequoya Fitzpatrick ’17
with accomplishments and accolades that span decades, wanted to establish a scholarship for SUNY Oswego students like Sequoya Fitzpatrick ’17, who is the first recipient of the Professor Herbert Van Schaack Endowed Scholarship.
The scholarship rewards a student entering senior year who demonstrates academic excellence and a desire to pursue a career in psychology.
Last fall, Fitzpatrick paid a visit to Van Schaack, who lives with his wife, Sandy Richmond Van Schaack M’77 CAS’77 CAS’80, on West Lake Road in Oswego.
In their home, Van Schaack keeps on display in his kitchen the thank you letter he received from Fitzpatrick, a double major in psychology and cognitive science. They share a passion for a field in which Van Schaack was honored with the rank of Distinguished Service Professor in 1989. He also has years of service to government on both the local and national levels; served as chair of the Faculty Assembly; received national recognition from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities; founded the Oswego County Neighborhood Youth Corps; was a recipient of the Youth Award from the State Division for Youth, served as a local radio talk show host and lectured around the world—to name just a few of his accomplishments. Van Schaack joined the Oswego faculty in 1956, after he earned a master’s and doctorate degree from Cornell University. He received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1975 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1978.
“SUNY Oswego has taught me everything I need in my success toolkit,” says the letter crafted by Fitzpatrick. She is honored, it says, to be selected for a scholarship named for “such an outstanding professor.”
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