Celebrating Karen Linehan Mroz's Life at the College of Charleston
A celebration of Karen Linehan Mroz's life at the College of Charleston will be held on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Randolph Hall.
(Photo by Kip Karson Photography)
The College of Charleston has felt the loss of one of its greatest champions, Karen Linehan Mroz, since she passed away in January 2024. Mroz – who worked in both the nonprofit and private sectors in business, education and philanthropy, with a focus on education and women’s empowerment in the Middle East – made an impact on many lives around the globe and shared her experiences and passions with the College of Charleston community.
It is now time to celebrate her life, her impact and her legacy at the College of Charleston. A celebration of Mroz’s life will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Randolph Hall’s Alumni Hall. The event will also be livestreamed.
Featuring many speakers, including students who worked directly with Mroz, the celebration will be broken up into three sessions, with Randa Fahmy, president of Fahmy Hudome International and Mroz’s close friend and colleague, delivering the keynote address about women’s empowerment in the Middle East during the third session. (See below for a full program of events.)
All are welcome and encouraged to come celebrate her life and legacy – whether in person or remotely. In either case, please RSVP here.
With her late husband, John Edwin Mroz, Karen Mroz played an integral role in the creation and development of the EastWest Institute, an organization dedicated to convening dialogue and diplomacy. Thanks to Karen’s unique vision, the College of Charleston worked with the EastWest Institute to establish the John Edwin Mroz Global Leadership Institute. Since the institute’s launch in 2021, Mroz made it her mission to ensure CofC students have the tools and experiences to be globally curious and grow as leaders.
Mroz assumed positions on the institute’s steering committee and the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs’ advisory board. She also played an active role in the Mroz Institute’s EWI oral history project, run by the Addlestone Library. She was not only an interviewee of the oral history project: She was also prepping to be an interviewer and help expand the catalog.
“Karen was committed to continuing the legacy of her husband and the EastWest Institute here at the College of Charleston,” says Aimee Arias, dean of the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs. “She was passionate about ensuring that students get the skills they need to be engaged global citizens – to be able to address global issues through critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving and a deep understanding of international affairs.”
One of Mroz’s greatest passions was mentoring students, particularly the International Scholars. She would regularly come to campus to meet one-on-one with students. She loved to hear their plans and share her experiences.
“Karen was interested in the professional development of students, and she invested her time to ensure they had the tools to succeed,” says Max Kovalov, an instructor of international studies and the Bennett Director of the Mroz Global Leadership Institute.
Adds Arias: “She was never more excited than when meeting with students. She really enjoyed hearing about their internships, other co-curricular activities and career aspirations, and she was one of the most requested mentors for our International Scholars.”
One such scholar is Sara Solan, an international studies and political science double major.
“Karen saw me not just as a student, but as a potential change-maker in the world,” says Solan. “Her warmth and hospitality were refreshing. She insisted on breaking formal barriers, asking me to call her Karen, not Mrs. Mroz because, she said, ‘That’s my mother-in-law’s name.’
“While Karen is no longer physically with us,” Solan continues, “I am confident that her bright spirit and passion for helping others will continue to illuminate the path for the Mroz Institute and students at the School of Language, Cultures, and World Affairs here at the College. The mark that she leaves on us here truly shows how extraordinary she was. Karen made us feel valued, capable and important. We will strive to honor her memory by embodying the values that she exemplified.”
College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu agrees.
“Karen Mroz was a transformational partner and philanthropist to the College of Charleston,” he says. “We have lost a truly wonderful person – someone whose intelligence, humor and passion represented the best ideals of our campus. She did more than just talk the talk about change and making the world a better place – she walked the walk. Karen will be sorely missed, but her legacy lives on through the Mroz Institute and all the students who take part in the program.”
Program for the Celebration of Karen Linehan Mroz’s Life
Friday, Sept. 27, 2024
10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Alumni Hall in Randolph Hall
Please RSVP Here
Coffee Service
9:30 a.m.
Session 1: Karen Linehan Mroz and her Impact on CofC and Students
10 a.m.
- Welcome Remarks, with President Hsu, Provost Suzanne Austin, Dean Arias and Kovalov
- Global Leadership Certificate, featuring Malte Pehl (Director, International Studies Program) and Hollis France (Chair, Department of Political Science)
- Oral History Project, featuring John White (Dean of Libraries)
- Impact on Students, featuring Bryan Ganaway (Associate Dean, Honors College) and students (Solan and Adeline Rios)
- Karen Linehan Mroz Global Leaders Endowed Scholarship
The scholarship was established in recognition Mroz’s extraordinary impact on the College and on the generations of future students who will become stronger global leaders because of her tireless work to weave global fluency into the fabric of the College of Charleston experience.
Session 2: Panel Discussion with Emily Whalen, Hilton Smith and Tim Johnson
11 a.m.
Session 3: Keynote Address, “Mentor, Mother and Middle East Maven: The Life and Legacy of Karen Linehan Mroz”
12 p.m.
The keynote speaker, Randa Fahmy, is internationally recognized for her work in global government affairs, energy policy and national security with more than 30 years of legal and public policy experience, including service in the executive and legislative branches of the United States government. Fahmy is president of Fahmy Hudome International (FHI), a strategic consulting firm that provides critical advice and counsel to international and domestic clientele with an interest in international business transactions, global government affairs and energy policy. Previously, she was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. associate deputy secretary of energy, served as counselor to U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-MI) and practiced as an attorney with the law firm of Willkie, Farr and Gallagher. Fahmy’s opinions on international diplomacy and energy policy have been published in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and she appears frequently as an analyst on energy and national security issues on NBC, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN and BBC.
