MC JOINS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR
PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS
Release Date:
January 6, 2000
MONMOUTH, Ill. —
Monmouth College has been invited to be one of the
colleges and universities throughout Illinois that participates in the Golden Apple
Scholarship Program.
The purpose of the program is to recruit and
prepare high school graduates who have the promise for successful careers as excellent
teachers. These students are then directed to schools of need throughout Illinois. The program
is funded by the Golden Apple Foundation, which was created in the Chicago metropolitan area
in 1985.
The Golden Apple Scholarship Program, which
began in 1989 and went statewide in 1993, awards a total of $28,000 per individual over four
years to students who pursue a teaching degree at one of the participating schools. That sum
is divided into installments of $5,000 per academic year and another $2,000 apiece for four
Summer Institute experiences that strengthen teaching ability.
Teachers, counselors, principals and other
non-family adults are invited to nominate high school juniors who demonstrate an interest in
or commitment to teaching as a profession. Application materials will be sent to each student
who is nominated.
Once a student is accepted, they must:
maintain academic excellence at one of the participating Illinois schools; attend four Summer
Institutes; obtain an Illinois teaching certificate; and teach for five years in an Illinois
school of need.
According to Marybeth Kemp, dean of admission
at Monmouth College and the school’s liaison with the Golden Apple Scholarship Program, the
college had to apply to be selected as one of the participating schools and was accepted last
month. Monmouth’s inclusion is a natural fit, she said, as the school produces an average of
75 graduates per year who pursue teaching, making it the most popular major at the college
over the last four years.
Kemp will work closely on campus to
coordinate the program with: professor Frank Sorensen, chairman of the education department;
Mindy Damewood, director of the Wackerle Career and Leadership Center, who will assist with
job placement; and Jayne Whiteside, director of financial aid.
"This is a real gain for us, and for the
students," said Sorensen, who noted that approximately 30 percent of the student body at
Monmouth is involved with the education department. "There’s only a select group of colleges
that is invited to participate in this program, which may open a door of opportunity for
students who otherwise would not be able to attend Monmouth."
For more information on the program, contact
Kemp at 309-457-2140 or call Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois at 312-407-0006.
Released
by the Office of College Communications
Barry McNamara, Associate Director of College Communications
Phone: 309-457-2117
Fax: 309-457-2330
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