STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS

The Peters fund study abroad scholarship at IU Southeast

Curtis Peters, professor emeritus of philosophy at Indiana University Southeast, and his wife, Pam, have always had a passion for international travel and learning.

In 1969, Curtis received a graduate scholarship to study in the German Academic Exchange Service, one of the largest funding organizations in the world for the international exchange of students and researchers. After studying in Heidelberg, Germany, Curtis returned home with an experience that forever changed him.

“Coming from small Midwestern towns, we both had international experiences that broadened our lives when we were still pretty young,” said Pam.

In 1978, Curtis decided to take a leap of faith and leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, to move to the unfamiliar city of New Albany after accepting a job as a professor of philosophy at IU Southeast with a salary of just $11,000.

Curtis had been a professor at Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, a pre-seminary college that closed in 1977. He began seeking new opportunities. Little did he know, IU Southeast would offer him experiences of a lifetime and the chance to have a positive impact on the lives of students.

From 1976 to 2006, Curtis served in a variety of roles at IU Southeast including, the executive of the Faculty Senate, as division chair and dean of Humanities (now Arts and Letters) and as the first director of the First-Year Seminar program. In 2012, he came out of retirement to be the acting vice chancellor of academic affairs. His dedication to teaching resulted in an Outstanding Teacher Award from IU Southeast.

After coming to IU Southeast, Curtis also became very involved in the Indiana University overseas study program, encouraging all of his students to study abroad. In 1982, he was selected as the overseas study director at Hamburg University in Germany. The Peters and their three children lived in Hamburg for a year, helping about 24 students in their studies.

These experiences led the Peters to give back to IU Southeast in a unique way.

“We would like other students to have the experiences we’ve had,” said Pam.

The Peters decided to fund the Curtis & Pamela Peters Scholarship for Overseas Study. The non-renewable scholarship will be for undergraduate students at IU Southeast who are participating in an IU-approved, credit-bearing overseas study program as part of an educational experience for a semester, academic year or short-term study.

“We want to fund this scholarship to tie in with and support something that Indiana University does really well,” said Curtis. “We want to make sure that there are as many students from IU Southeast as possible who can take advantage of the study abroad program.”

Generosity soars during global health crisis

You would think most people would place things on hold during a pandemic. Things like spending money, investing and the like. Indeed, most would refrain from any needless spending, hunker down and just sit tight during a healthcare crisis. Incredibly, IU Southeast’s alumni and friends stepped forward with generous giving during the early days of the outbreak and up to recent weeks.

Charles and Sherry Stem could have easily placed their decision to endow a study aboard scholarship on hold, but they did not. The Stems, friends of IU Southeast and generous donors for years, moved ahead to fund the Charles and Sherry Stem Study Abroad Scholarship. The first preference is for the scholarship to benefit students majoring in music from the School of Arts and Letters and students majoring in education with the School of Education, and the second preference will be for the scholarship to benefit Floyd Central High School students and Jeffersonville High School students.

“International travel has enabled our family to learn about and appreciate the world’s unique cultures, history, architecture and landscapes,” said the Stems. “We are delighted to assist select IU Southeast students with the gift of this enriching experience. With travel and study, we hope that students will become better enlightened both here and abroad.”