The
Annenberg Foundation has awarded La Salle University a $2
million grant for scholarships to assist and encourage students
to become mathematics and science teachers. The grant is the
second largest single gift from a foundation in the University’s
history.
The
scholarships will be available to La Salle education majors
who will specialize in mathematics or science education.
The
grant will set up an endowed fund that will provide the scholarships.
The fund will be named the Annenberg-Henrich Scholarship Fund,
in honor of the late Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg, Mrs.
Leonore Annenberg and William J. Henrich, Jr., Esq., a 1950
graduate of La Salle and long-time friend and attorney of
the Annenbergs. Ambassador and Mrs. Annenberg received honorary
degrees from La Salle in 1957 and 1987 respectively.
“Walter
and Leonore Annenberg, throughout their long and illustrious
careers, have always championed causes of education, teachers
and the need to make the educational system work. When they
became convinced that the educational community needed help,
they were in the forefront, doing whatever they could wherever
they could do it. This scholarship program, which will be
a success and a credit to the Annenbergs, is one more statement
of their genuine concern and sense of responsibility,”
said Henrich.
"The
University has a strong tradition of teacher preparation,
and we are honored and pleased that the Annenberg Foundation
recognized this when selecting La Salle for this grant,"
said Brother Michael McGinniss, President of La Salle.
Education
is currently the second largest undergraduate major at La
Salle, and has graduated thousands of students who have gone
on to become teachers who have taught in a variety of schools
and disciplines.
The
scholarships will range between $5,000 and $10,000 per student
per year. The number of scholarships made available each year
will be determined by the scholarship selection committee.
Maryanne
Bednar, a professor of education at La Salle and director
of secondary education program, said these scholarships are
particularly well-timed to address the concerns identified
in the federal “No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB),”
which calls for "highly qualified" teachers who
know both the content and how to teach.
“By
emphasizing content knowledge -- in this case, math and science,
and pedagogical knowledge -- how to teach the math and science
content, we’re helping to prepare teachers who will
exceed the standards of the NCLB,” says Bednar. “Having
more teachers who understand specifically math and science
and how to teach it will help secondary education students
to better understand and apply the math and science they learn
in the classroom.”
La
Salle is a comprehensive, coeducational university established
in 1863 by the Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic teaching
order going back to St. John Baptist De La Salle in Reims,
France in the 17th century. Today, La Salle University educates
approximately 5,500 undergraduate and graduate students in
nearly 60 academic disciplines at its three campuses in Philadelphia
and the surrounding counties. One of seven Christian Brother
colleges and universities in America, La Salle is built on
a strong tradition of quality education, service to students
and overall excellence.
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