Awards

Z.G. Clevenger Award - 2014

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2014

School of Optometry Foley House Basement Key Award - 2013

President's Award for Distinguished Teaching - 2000

About Victor E. Malinovsky

When Victor Malinovsky was hired in 1978 as a faculty member at Ferris State University's new School of Optometry and given the job of developing an ocular disease program, he acknowledges he "was young and had little formal academic experience. I decided at that moment, I could meet the challenge with a simple formula: hard work combined with a caring attitude," he said. He carried that approach back to his alma mater, Indiana University, in 1987, where he has excelled as both an optometrist and a clinical associate professor.

One of his former students, Mark Dunbar, now the director of optometric services at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, attributes much of his success to Malinovsky. "I know that I would clearly not be in the position that I am today had it not been for this person who cared about his students and the subject that he taught. I was not at the top of my class. I was just an average student who was helped along by this teacher who took the time to care and make a difference," Dunbar said.

"Dr. Malinovsky has taught me so much about the honor of being a teacher," explained IU colleague Jane Ann Grogg. "I learn from him on a daily basis the importance of each and every interaction a teacher has with students. From evaluating students to teaching them the importance of patient care, Dr. Malinovsky stands out above all the rest."

Malinovsky teaches three courses in ocular disease, drawing from an extensive file of diagnostic slides, hand-outs and patient case histories he has gathered and updated over the years. His ocular disease clinic is one of the school's busiest teaching clinics, where doctors and students face some of the most challenging cases in the field. His students consistently exceed national averages on board examinations. And as national chairperson of the American Academy of Optometry's continuing education program, he exhibits the same dedication to providing the education that practicing optometrists must complete to maintain their licenses.

In 2014, Dr. Malinovsky and his wife, Janice, were honored with the IUPUI Spirit of Philanthropy Award. The couple had met at IU while student, he in the School of Optometry, and she in the School of Education. The couple always felt that the University had been a positive impact on their lives and they honored that influence by donating to the School of Optometry for more than thirty years. Their commitment to Indiana University -- both in the classroom and as dedicated benefactors -- has inspired the school to establish the Victor and Janice Malinovsky Scholarship. The endowment will allow the Malinovskys to continue to have an impact on the lives of future optometry students.