September 8th - Meeting - Dr. Jerry Merckel
Classical schools advance the ideals of Liberty
William Korach - CEO, Cornerstone Classical Charters
Dr. Merckel left the University of North Florida (UNF) on July 11, 2014 to pursue Classical Charter Schools. At UNF he was a Professor of Electrical Engineering along with Director of the UNF Innovation Program, Associate Dean of the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction and Chair of the Department of Construction Management. Employment experience includes Nuclear Engineering with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Computer Engineering with the IBM PC Company, and multiple start-up company experiences. Dr. Merckel has a number of professional awards including "One of the Top Ten Contributors to the IBM PC Company", "Engineer of the Year" by the Florida Engineering Society, and multiple IBM Patent and Management Excellence awards. He has four engineering degrees, BS Electrical Engineering, MS Nuclear Engineering, MS Engineering Physics and a Ph.D. in Engineering Science. With eight grandchildren, he is concerned about America's future.
Dr. Merckel's presentation is about the Educational System and how we can finally do something about it instead of just beating our heads against the wall. A new program has been formed to help local groups form a Classical Charter School in their community. Classical Charter Schools are not private. They are part and parcel of the local school system. They pay us to provide the school. Classical schools advance the ideals of Liberty, something our schools are not doing now. Dr. Merckel is on the board of a group helping form these charter schools, along with Bill Korach of The Report Card. They have partnered with Hillsdale College. This will help fight the Common Core issue which we oppose. |
William Korach is CEO of Cornerstone Classical Charters, a non profit organization dedicated to the establishment of Classical Charter Schools. Korach is publisher of The Report Card www.thereportcard.com, a magazine advocating a return to educational excellence and the history of America’s Heritage in our public schools. Korach was a Senior VP of new product development with Citibank; Korach was an early developer of on-line banking and has taught and written about marketing technology throughout his career in financial services. Korach is a former Commander in the United States Naval Reserve having served on active duty during Viet Nam and recalled to Active Duty for Operation Desert Storm. In 2010 Korach was President of the Navy League of St. Augustine that was selected for the Outstanding Council award worldwide. He continues to serve on the board of the Navy League, and is a member of The Naval Order and the Military Officers Association. Korach is First Vice Chairman of the Republican Executive Committee in St. Johns County and formerly Chairman of Veterans for Romney in St. Johns County. Korach is a member of the National Association of Scholars. He wrote Rock of the Republic, Teaching Point, 2011, Jacksonville, A history textbook of the influence of Judeo Christian thought on American law and ethics. He was awarded Education News' 2013 Upton Sinclair Award for his reportage on education.
Korach founded the Francesca Stencil Korach Battle of Midway Essay Scholarship in 2012. Korach graduated from the University of Chicago Laboratory School and received his BA in history from the University of Wisconsin. |