St. Ambrose University (SAU) is initiating a Robert Noyce Scholarship Program in partnership with four local high need school districts. Through this program SAU is helping to alleviate the significant shortage of highly qualified secondary school math and science teachers in both urban and rural school districts in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. The SAU Noyce Program is designed to graduate an additional 22-28 secondary science and/or math teachers by 2010. This is an 86% increase over the current number of SAU math and science majors who seek secondary teaching certification.
This project removes two major obstacles to more students matriculating to St. Ambrose's math, science and education programs, especially from the community colleges: (1) lack of finances; and (2) lack of knowledge about teacher preparation programs. Monthly visits to the local community colleges by SAU transfer specialist and math, science and education faculty; focused marketing, recruiting, and programs in the local high schools, especially those with high minority populations; and scholarships help alleviate those barriers.
Through the Noyce Program, SAU is (1) recruiting an additional 11-14 math and/or science majors per year to seek secondary teaching certification, focusing on high school and transfer students particularly those from groups underrepresented in STEM fields (e.g., minorities and women); (2) graduating 5-7 additional math and/or science majors annually qualified for secondary teaching certification; (3) awarding Noyce Scholarships (or stipends) annually to 11-14 qualified STEM majors who pursue secondary education certification; and (4) providing on-going support to graduates during their first five years of teaching to ease the transition into teaching and aid retention during and beyond their obligatory service period.
