The Philip Peak Scholarship Fund was established in honor of long-time IU School of Education professor, associate dean and acting dean, Philip L. Peak. Dean Peak spent 37 years at Indiana University and is credited with developing the mathematics education program. A list of his accomplishments in the education field includes being awarded the Outstanding Service Award for an Indiana teacher, serving as Indiana’s representative to the National Council of Teachers in Mathematics, and serving as the president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In 1980, his accomplishments were recognized with the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU School of Education. The endowed scholarship named after him provides scholarship support to undergraduates in the school.

Dean Peak’s daughter, Virginia Merkel, CFP, supports the fund in memory of her father. Virginia grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, graduated with a degree in finance from Indiana University (BS ’76), and has had a distinguished career as the Senior Vice President, Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. She is an avid supporter and former chairman of the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis and serves as a trustee for the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. Virginia also serves on the Board of Connor Prairie. Virginia’s commitment to honoring her father’s legacy helps shape the school that her father served for so many years.