Francek, Mark

Biography

Mark Francek earned his doctorate in geography from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, his master’s in geog­raphy from the University of South Carolina, and his bache­lor’s degree in geography and psy­chology from the State University College at Geneseo, New York. He has teaching and research interests in physical geography and earth-science education. Mark has pedaled three times across the United States and has taught geography field classes on Beaver Island, the Great Lakes region, and the Appalachian Mountains involving bicycle travel.

Francek has coauthored a textbook, Exploring Physical Geography, more than 32 scholarly papers, funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the State of Michigan, and has presented his research at national and state conferences. In his 37 years at Central Michigan, Francek has served as acting department chair, director of the Envi­ronmental Studies Program, and director of the Science and Technol­ogy Residential College.

Francek has received state and national teaching awards, including Central Michigan University Honors Program Faculty of the Year, Central Michigan University Teaching Excellence Award, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Michigan Professor of the Year, the Presidents Council State Universities of Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year, the National Council for Geographic Education Distinguished Teaching Award, and Michigan Science Teach­ers Association College Teacher of the Year. Francek currently teaches courses in soil science, physical geography, InSciTE (a 4-year STEM certificate focusing on interdisciplinary teamwork and student-driven research), and environmentally related courses in the Honors Program.