Dr. Mark S. Malaszczyk holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in European History, a Master of Arts degree in American Diplomatic History, and a Doctoral degree in Modern World History, all earned from St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York. He is a former Ford Foundation Fellow of News Literacy at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, and served as an academic liaison in the School of Journalism to the Babylon Union Free School District from 2007 to 2023. He deliberately diversified his academic concentrations to become a highly qualified educator, focusing his baccalaureate studies on European History, his master's degree on American Diplomatic History, and his doctoral coursework on Modern World History from 1750 to the present.
For 32 years, Dr. Malaszczyk was an accomplished teacher in the Babylon Union Free School District, earning Teacher of the Year honors on four separate occasions in 1996, 2002, 2015, and 2023. Additionally, he is a veteran Adjunct Professor of History and Political Science with 25 years of experience at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York. During his tenure in Babylon, he was recognized for classroom excellence at local, state, and national levels. He completed a Ford Foundation Fellowship in News Literacy at Stony Brook University in 2007, pioneering the discipline at both the secondary and post-secondary levels and designing curricula for what was then a nascent field. Furthermore, he served a four-year term as the K-12 Curriculum Coordinator of Social Studies for the Babylon UFSD from 2008 to 2012 before returning to the classroom full-time out of a passion for working directly with students. In April 2019, he received the New York State Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, the highest honor for adjunct professors in New York State public education. He retired from secondary education in June 2023 to devote his professional efforts entirely to adult learners in the college setting.
On a personal note, Dr. Malaszczyk is happily married to the woman he met on his very first day of college while searching for a classroom at eight o'clock in the morning. Thirty-seven years later, they share three wonderful children and two grandchildren. His personal interests include history, jogging, weightlifting, organic farming, cooking, classical music, and fountain pens. He can frequently be found enjoying a cup of herbal tea and a book in the corner of a local coffee house.
Previously, Dr. Malaszczyk was a regular columnist at RenewAmerica from 2004 to 2009, until life got in the way. He is happy to be back!
Subscribe to Mark's column
