Under the grant, the College of Education will establish a new program to attract academically prepared, disadvantaged students to study education at the University. This new program, which is modeled on the successful RISE Program in the University's College of Engineering, will provide academic and career-related support services to assist students in graduating.
Minorities are under-represented nationally in the teaching profession.
The minority student population in this country is projected to reach 30 percent by 1995, while the proportion of minority teachers is expected to be less than 5 percent at that time. Among the program's features are a five-week summer academy before the freshman year, personal development workshops and personalized guidance in career choices, monitoring of students' progress and close communication with students' parents. This program, along with other minority recruitment initiatives, will be coordinated by the college's Office of Student Services. Under the program, significant support services will be provided to the students to assure success in the college. Academic success is defined as the grade point average required for student teaching, specifically 2.5 overall and 2.75 in the major, on a 4.0 scale.