UNO Receives $1.2 Million for STEM Education Scholarships

OMAHA – The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) will soon contribute more STEM educators to the work force after receiving a $1.2 million grant to provide scholarship funding and internship programs for future teachers.

Late last week UNO was announced as the recipient of a highly competitive grant from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which is run out of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Thanks to the funding, UNO will be able to provide stronger guidance for high school-level math teachers who enroll in UNO’s Bachelor of Science in Math with Teaching Certification, an innovative collaboration model between the UNO Colleges of Arts and Sciences and UNO College of Education. The Noyce grant will be spread out over a five year period, beginning in 2015 and running through 2020.

“During the timeframe of this grant, we fully expect to produce at least 27 high school mathematics teachers who are prepared and committed to teach in high need schools,” said Angie Hodge, associate professor of mathematics and Dr. George Haddix Community Chair of Mathematics at UNO. “All of the teachers supported by the Noyce program will have a BS in mathematics and will have focused training to prepare them for teaching careers, including extensive fieldwork in area schools.”

Hodge explained that the grant will be used in three key areas:

- Providing structured internships for first-and-second-year undergraduates, referred to as “Noyce Interns.”

- Establishing financial, academic and professional development for third-and-fourth-year undergraduates, referred to as “Noyce Scholars.”

- Continue professional development in support of former Noyce Scholars that have gone on to become Noyce Teachers.”

“The Omaha/Noyce partnership is really going to help us here at UNO strengthen our mathematics teacher preparation program, creating a foundation that will continue beyond the timeline set by the grant,” Hodge said. “We really want to be the model program for the education of culturally response mathematics teachers who can succeed in the schools that need effective STEM education the most.”

The Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program was launched in 2002 and reauthorized in 2007 in order to respond to the critical need for K-12 teachers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by encouraging talented STEM students and professionals to pursue teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools.

Similar programs have been established at universities such as Xavier, University of New Hampshire, University of Louisville and Virginia Tech.

In addition to Hodge, additional UNO faculty who helped with securing the grant includes Janice Rech, Mathematics; Michael Matthews, Mathematics; Neal Grandgenett, Teacher Education; and Elliott Ostler, Teacher Education.

For questions, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at 402.554.2129 or by email at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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