Susan Chezik

I feel as if I've had many different lives, all interesting. Interestingly, we just recently found out my father was one of the liberators of Dachau in the war. (click here for Al Chezik's eye-witness account as related at the Harrisburg Holocost Memorial Dedication)   I believe he was too traumatized to speak of it until the last few years. 

I'm a college professor in Dallas and have a husband and daughter.  I've kept in touch with a few Penn people such as Sheila Douglas and Jeri Yaverbaum. We had a reunion a few years ago even. My email is: chizeck@utdallas.edu. We'll have to keep in touch. I occasionally get to Harrisburg to see my parents, who are still there.

Academically, I received a BA in History from Douglass College of Rutgers University (including study in Japanese at Princeton and Japan), an MA in East Asian Studies from Stanford Univ., an MA in Sociology from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from Rutgers University.

In 1981 I married Bill Pervin, an Allderdice graduate, who was then a professor of math and computer science at University of Texas at Dallas. So I moved to Dallas and have been there happily ever since. We have one daughter, Hannah, who is entering college early in 11th grade this Fall. Bill has 3 older children from his first marriage, but no grandchildren. 

I began my working life at the Carnegie Library (East Liberty branch) and college library. Following that I moved to Boston and got a job as administrative assistant at Harvard University, saving up enough money to continue my studies in Japan the following year at the Stanford Center in Tokyo. I completed the MA at Stanford University with a thesis on Japanese Business Practices. After, I spent the summer editing for biochemistry journals and publications. At Princeton I worked on several social research projects and parlayed that experience into a consulting job for the NJ State child welfare office. Later as a staff member I worked for several years doing research in the Division of Youth and Family Services, particularly on foster care and adoption of children. In Princeton, I also was a founder, president of and later CFO of a non-profit health education agency which lasted for over 20 years.

From there I was recruited into the Ph.D. program in Social Work at Rutgers Univ., specializing in administration and economics, and completed my dissertation on Schizophrenia. By that time I was Asst. Director of an innovative residence for schizophrenics and also did consulting on non-profit management. However, I married and moved to Dallas, Texas where I began a training and development consulting firm with a nurse which supplied wellness and management training programs to businesses. 

In 1985 I began teaching at The University of Texas at Dallas and soon became Director of the Internship Program, where I remain. Here I get to use my diverse talents supervising students doing internships in all fields. I also taught our core course in writing and critical thinking before moving to part-time faculty status when I had my baby. Although I hold Texas licenses as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Social Worker (Advanced Clinical Practice), and Hypnotherapist, I do not currently maintain a practice. For community service, I teach exercise classes at a rec center and write legislative news columns for various women's organizations.