A new endowed scholarship honoring longtime ÍćĹĽ˝ă˝ă history professor GĂĽnter Bischof will help support student research and travel. Bischof’s three children—Andrea, Marcus and Alexander—made lead gifts totaling more than $33,000. Contributions from other family members and friends bring the scholarship balance to more than $45,000.
The Dr. GĂĽnter J. Bischof Endowed Scholarship for Research and Travel will assist deserving undergraduate and graduate history majors or Austrian exchange students at ÍćĹĽ˝ă˝ă. The fund will support a minimum of one student per year with approximately $1,800 in scholarship support.
At an event held in October on campus, Bischof’s family announced the establishment of the scholarship as a perpetual testament to his enduring legacy as a historian and researcher. Recipients will be able to explore research interests in Austrian and American diplomatic history and engage in academic endeavors outside of the classroom, including travel to conferences, workshops and other scholarly activities.
“The Dr. Günter J. Bischof Endowed Student Scholarship for Research and Travel will honor its namesake’s legacy and will provide a path for our students to follow in his footsteps, cultivating their own passion for history—a worthy and lasting tribute to a key member of our community,” said Samuel Gladden, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development.
Bischof, who retired from ÍćĹĽ˝ă˝ă earlier this year, spent nearly 35 years as a faculty member in the history department. He was also director of Center Austria, a research and discourse hub for Austrian and European studies at ÍćĹĽ˝ă˝ă and in New Orleans. Founded in 1997, the center advances understanding of Austrian and Central European culture through scholarly and artistic activities, academic partnerships, and the support of the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation. The ÍćĹĽ˝ă˝ă’ flagship study abroad program in Innsbruck, Austria is the University’s largest and oldest study abroad program.
Bischof, a native of the Austrian village of Mellau, studied history and English at the University of Innsbruck before earning a master’s degree at ÍćĹĽ˝ă˝ă and a Ph.D. at Harvard University.
For more information about the scholarship and eligibility criteria, contact Marc Landry, director of Center Austria, at mdlandr1@uno.edu.
