UE School of Education Reaches $1 Million in Grants Since 2017

The University of Evansville (UE) School of Education was recently awarded a $110,000 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) grant from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE). This is the third STEM grant the School of Education has received from the CHE. With these funds, UE has now received over $1 million in grants for the School of Education since 2017.

The recent $110,000 grant will be used to fund full-tuition scholarships for students in the Transition to Teaching program who are entering STEM fields, such as math, science, and computer science. Transition to Teaching is an accelerated, 17-credit education program that prepares students to pursue licensure in teaching. During their time in the program, students will receive teaching placements in local schools and are paired with a mentor teacher and University supervisor for constant support.

The grant will also provide STEM professional development opportunities for current students in elementary and secondary education majors, as well as UE alums and teachers within the region. Additionally, a mentoring program for graduates teaching in STEM fields will be continued and funded.

The School of Education will continue to implement a Project Lead the Way program for undergraduate elementary education majors. Project Lead the Way is an American organization that develops and provides STEM curricula to create engaging classroom environments. Through this program, students will be equipped with the knowledge, training, and support to incorporate these in-demand skills into their future classrooms.

“We are thrilled that this grant will bring even more STEM training and opportunities to our students,” said Sharon Gieselmann, PhD, who serves as chair for the UE School of Education. “The teaching shortage in these fields continues to rise as the demand for these skills continues to grow. This grant is going to have a dual purpose. It will equip our students for teaching STEM in the classroom, but it will also give K-12 students a greater understanding of these areas as they think about their own future aspirations.”

In addition to the three STEM grants from the CHE, the School of Education also received a $735,000 grant in 2020 from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund. The initiative of this grant was to improve distance learning techniques in the classroom. Since receiving the funds, the School of Education has been offering a free community tutoring program as well as professional development opportunities for current students and local teachers to improve student outcomes.