USI STEM education programs receive grants from Commission for Higher Education

The University of Southern Indiana Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education has been awarded two grants totaling $440,000 by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) for sustaining programs intended to recruit and train teachers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects.

The Teaching Eagles Scholarship Program received a $200,000 grant to increase the number of content-rich, classroom-ready science and mathematics teacher candidates graduating from USI. Established in 2014, the program supports approximately 90 students majoring in either STEM fields or education fields to pursue degrees in STEM education. This is the fifth ICHE grant supporting Teaching Eagles since its inception.

New Experiences for Instructors of Dual Enrollment (NExIDE) received a $240,000 grant to provide financial support and incentives to eligible Indiana public high school mathematics teachers who teach or plan to teach dual credit mathematics. Teachers participating in the program receive in-state tuition and fee support for graduate coursework in mathematics or pursing a Master of Science in Education in Secondary Mathematics Teaching as well as travel support to attend a professional conference or workshop. Founded in 2015, this is the fourth ICHE grant supporting NExIDE.

For more information on Teaching Eagles, contact Dr. Kelly Sparks, Associate Professor of Education, at kmsparks1@usi.edu. For more information about NExIDE, contact Dr. Rick Hudson, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Mathematical Sciences Department, at rhudson@usi.edu.