Date: March 22, 2007
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, Illinois, March 22, 2007 – The high cost of a university education and the increasing need for qualified secondary education teachers has encouraged the Teacher Quality Enhancement (TQE) partnership at Governors State University to offer full one-year scholarships to students entering the university’s secondary education programs.
The scholarship program has expanded this year to include qualified applicants from local and city community colleges seeking to continue their education, as well as qualified individuals wishing to return to university to earn their high school teacher certification. All students entering Governors State University in biology, chemistry, and English secondary education degree programs are encouraged to apply. Scholarships in the mathematic secondary education program will also be awarded after the new program receives Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approval.
“These scholarships encourage students to continue their educations to become high school teachers. The Teacher Quality Enhancement Partnership helps train more capable and effective teachers,” explains Cheryl Hague, Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Recruitment Coordinator at Governors State University.
Scholarship requirements include a 3.0 cumulative GPA in undergraduate work applied to the degree program, conditional acceptance into a secondary education program at GSU, two letters of recommendation from instructors or advisors, and a completed online application including a 500-word essay explaining the student’s philosophy of education as it pertains to working in a high needs secondary school. The application is available at www.govst.edu/tqe.
Scholarship recipients are required to work a minimum of one year in a high- needs school upon completion of their secondary teacher certification requirements. Recipients may also be eligible for additional TQE scholarships and training.
“We provide support and resources to teachers in training so they are better able to succeed when they reach high school classrooms. When teachers are supported and successful, their students benefit and learn,” says Hague. “Our goal is to help create quality, qualified high school teachers by providing both financial and educational support.”
The Teacher Quality Enhancement Partnership is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Education. The scholarship application deadlines are June 1, 2007 and December 15, 2007.
For more information or to submit an application packet, contact Cheryl Hague, Recruitment Coordinator for Secondary Education at Governors State University at (708) 534-4587 or c-hague@govst.edu.
