Augusta, Ga. -  A million dollar grant to Augusta State University will support the study of science and math education at ASU for participating students who, upon graduation and certification, commit to teaching in one of four rural counties in the university’s service area.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $1,110,509  grant to ASU, which will provide about $15,000 a year to 18 students who enter a new five-year integrated program that combines a bachelor’s degree in science education with a master’s degree in teaching. Graduates will teach in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) areas in one of the four counties—Burke, McDuffie, Jefferson, or Warren counties upon their graduation and certification as K-12 teachers.

“We are very pleased to have received this second grant from the National Science Foundation to increase the number of Augusta State STEM graduates,” says Samuel Sullivan, vice president for academic affairs. “Increasing the number of science and math teachers in our public high schools will have a direct impact on the number of future students engaging in STEM studies and careers—careers that underlie our state’s and nation’s innovation and prosperity.”

Funded through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, ASU’s Program for Recruiting and Educating STEM Teachers with Integrated Graduate Enrollment (PRESTIGE), is open to all ASU rising juniors who have not already declared education as a major. PRESTIGE will particularly recruit students from the four rural counties as well as groups underrepresented in higher education.

Over three years, six students per year (18) will be awarded a Robert Noyce renewable scholarship of $14,800 for the first year, which will increase by five percent per student each additional year. The scholarship will support the cost of tuition throughout the integrated program’s five-year schedule, which will result in the students receiving both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Art in Teaching, with a concentration in secondary education.  For each year of funding, PRESTIGE Scholars agree to teach two years in one of the four county’s school systems.

“The new integrated degree program, known as IMAT, will draw more STEM majors to teaching careers,” says Steven Page, assistant professor in ASU’s Department of Teacher Education and administrator of the PRESTIGE and IMAT programs. “Not only will their base salary per year be greater than those teaching in STEM areas with only bachelor’s degrees, they will be more knowledgeable in their content areas which will then increase the quality of education in the schools that employ them,” he adds.

Upon completion of the IMAT program, graduates will have over 900 hours of observation and student teaching in a high school or middle school. “These graduates will have had more contact with middle and high school students than their counterparts at other institutions throughout the nation,” says Dr. Page.

Upon graduation, the new teachers will receive continued mentoring by an ASU professor for the six years they agree to teach science or math in one of the rural counties.

As part of the grant, ASU will offer a Summer Intern Program for selected freshmen or sophomore STEM majors to help middle or high school students in science or math in the counties’ summer schools. Under the supervision of certified teachers, these interns will gain valuable experience teaching in middle or high school classrooms. The 20-hour internship program includes a stipend.

The four counties–Burke, Jefferson, McDuffie, and Warren counties–are members of the ASU Professional Development Schools (PDS) Network which has been in existence for more than 10 years. Through the PDS partnership, ASU’s College of Education places education majors in public schools to obtain classroom experience with the county’s certified, professional teachers.

The NSF grant was written by Dr. Page and Chad Stephens, principal investigators, with assistance from Karen Aubrey, Kimberly Gray, Andy Hauger, Rich Griner, Carol Rychly, Donna Hobbs, Paula Dohoney, Judi Wilson, and Philip Smith.

For more information on the PRESTIGE Scholarship, contact Dr. Page at 706-737-1496.

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