Funds that Support Teacher Education

Teacher Education
Above: A student planning to become a teacher listens closely to her professor.

Make a Difference for Teacher Education Students

Your gift in any amount to the funds below provide support for teacher education students. You can use the Donate button to give online. Thank you!

Teacher Education Program Fund Donate

This fund provides money for special opportunities or extraordinary needs.

Scholarship Funds/Awards

John and Barb Blackburn Scholarship Fund Donate

The Blackburns give an annually funding scholarship each year. Although their gift each year is unrestricted (with no specific criteria), the scholarship generally goes to either an English or an education major, reflecting John's Master's degree in Educational Administration ('79) and Barb's Master's Degree in Literature ('81). Your gift to this scholarship will be added to the amount they give each year, increasing the size of the scholarship.

Melinda and Alfred LaBarre Scholarship Fund Donate

As a former teacher, principal and Ball Foundation Consultant to the Springfield Ball Charter School, as well as a current member of Springfield’s Dist. 186 School Board, Melinda LaBarre has invested many years in the educational integrity of Springfield’s students. Along with her husband, attorney Alfred “Pete” LaBarre, the LaBarres have established the Melinda A. and Alfred B. LaBarre Scholarship which will honor a qualified high school graduate of Springfield’s public school district Applicants must be a graduate of a Springfield public high school with a minimum high school GPA of 3.0 upon graduation. Students must also be accepted into the UIS Mid-State Student Support program to be considered.

Loken Family Scholarship Donate

For students who not only want to be classroom teachers, but educators of those pupils who may need significantly more patience, guts and  innovation with their instruction, the Loken Family Scholarship seeks to help accomplish that goal. Education majors who intend to work with special needs, at-risk or other special population students are the focus of this scholarship. Applicants must have financial need and be enrolled in a minimum of two classes.

Otis D. Morgan Award Fund Donate

Dr. Otis D. Morgan, who died in 1973, was a UIS (then Sangamon State University) charter faculty member. Dr. Morgan’s primary instruction was in the Teacher Preparation Sequence. The Otis D. Morgan Memorial Scholarship, one of the longest-running UIS scholarships available, was established in 1975 by the Black Caucus (of Springfield). Applicants for this scholarship must be minority transfer students majoring in Education. Preference is given to African-American students, particularly those from the East St. Louis area.

Dorothy A. Tracy Teacher Education Scholarship Donate

Knowing how important scholarships are and the influence that teachers have on children and indeed on all of society, Dorothy Tracy established a scholarship at UIS for students in the Teacher Education Program.

Brad and Jennifer Ward Scholarship Donate

Brad and Jennifer Ward met on their first day together at UIS--Brad helped Jennifer set up her printer. Jennifer was a history major in the teacher education major. She went on to teach in Indianapolis before staying home with the couple's daughter. Brad started as a computer major but switched to business, adding an eclectic mix of marketing and communication courses. Today, with his partner, he runs BlueFuego, a leading consulting business helping colleges and universities with online marketing. With this scholarship, which qualifies for the Access Illinois Match Program, Brad and Jen become some of the youngest scholarship donors UIS has ever had. The match program provides an unexpected benefit for them. They can give the first scholarship to business (for Brad) and the second (the matched scholarship) to teacher education (for Jennifer). Read more of their story here.

Other Options

You could also create your own named scholarship fund--either a current-use scholarship or an endowed scholarship--that benefits teacher education program students. As the principle donor, you would get to name the fund and establish the selection criteria.

Questions?

We welcome your inquiries. Please use the contact information below.