About Dr. John Novak
The Collection is named in honor of John R. Novak, Jr. Dr. Novak was a respected member of the Marygrove College community where he served first as a chemistry faculty, then as coordinator for the chemistry department and the natural sciences and physics department.
In 1985 he became Academic Dean and then Vice President for Academic Affairs. As Academic Dean, Dr. Novak played a critical role in faculty development, establishing the Teacher-Scholar Award, Junior Scholar Award, Curriculum Improvement Award, Faculty Scholarship Award, and the Sabbatical Program.
Additionally, Dr. Novak helped bring the faculty into the digital age by establishing the infrastructure for technology at the college, including computer labs, computers in faculty offices, on-line course delivery, and a technical department. Thanks to his foresight, Marygrove students now have access to the vast information resources of the Internet. Dr. Novak understood what this access would mean for Marygrove students and worked diligently to make it a reality.
Dr. Novak was born and grew up in Philadelphia. He earned a bachelor's degree from Temple University and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He came to Marygrove in 1977 as an assistant professor of chemistry. He later became chair of the department, Academic Dean, and VP for Academic Affairs. Dr. Novak died of cancer in 2002, at the age 52.