HISTORY OF THE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The Council grants scholarships to United States and Canadian students of Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian ancestry on the basis of need and academic achievement or excellence.  In 2008, the Council awarded nearly 50 scholarships in amounts ranging from $1,600 to $3,500 to students studying at over 40 diverse institutions of higher learning in 19 states. 

In 1901, Cedar Rapids businessman W.F. Severa attended a high school graduation in that city and was very impressed by the intelligence and presence of the valedictorian, who was also a Czech-American.  Mr. Severa was dismayed when he learned that the young man was to become a manual laborer because he could not afford to attend college.  Severa agreed to finance his education.  The young man refused what he considered to be charity, but accepted an interest-free loan.  The valedictorian, Efrem Hrbek, became the first recipient of a Council award and eventually received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and became a professor of Czech language and literature at the University of Nebraska.

Within one year of its founding in 1902, the Council had 155 members and received $1,452.39 in donations and made loans ranging from $25 to $200.  The first president of the Board of Trustees, Professor Bohumil Simek of the University of Iowa, undertook a series of nationwide lectures and wrote articles promulgating the value of education to the Czech-American community.  The community responded eagerly to his appeals for contributions and support.

Throughout its history, the Council made interest-free loans available to students of Czech-Slovak ancestry.  However, in 1968, businessman James Hovorka and his wife Helen of Youngstown, Ohio, bequeathed the bulk of their estate to the Council of Higher Education for scholarships.  In 1995, the Council suspended its loan program in favor of awarding renewable scholarships to students who plan to continue in undergraduate and graduate programs via full-time study at accredited institutions.  In addition, every year since 2001, scholarships have been awarded to two students in honor of Emily Seclef and Clara Hoetzel of California, sisters who left a substantial bequest to the Council.

 The Council was instrumental in establishing the teaching of the Czech/Slovak languages at several universities (Nebraska in 1907, Iowa in 1912, Texas in 1915, and later, in the 1920’s at Columbia, Creighton, and St. Procopius, now Benedictine University), as well as several high schools, notably Harrison and Morton, in the Chicago area.  It contributed toward the establishment of what was to be a Chair of Czech and Slovak Studies at the University of Chicago in 1961.  Also, the Council promoted a broader educational program of enlightening Americans of Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian descent through lectures, publications, and mobile libraries.  It sponsored clubs at colleges and universities beginning in 1904 at the University of Nebraska.  At a retreat in 2001, the Council renewed its commitment to encourage teaching and research in Czech/Slovak culture and language.

In 1924, the Council of Higher Education was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Illinois and has had its headquarters in the Chicago metropolitan area since then.  The board of trustees consists of nine to fifteen educators and businesspersons who meet semi-annually, manage the Council’s endowment with the assistance of financial professionals, and award scholarships under a program administered by a scholarship management company.  Thousands of successful persons in all walks of life have benefited from the scholarships and loans made available by the Council.

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Copyright © 2008 Council of Higher Education

P.O. Box 794, Chicago, IL 60690

Last modified: 11/13/08