A collaborative Western Carolina University program that encourages high school students to further their education and consider careers as teachers is one of 16 projects that N.C. Bev Perdue has recommended for funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Perdue recommended on Monday, May 11, that ARC continue funding the Western North Carolina Network for Access and Success, a collaborative effort of WCU, Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina at Asheville and public schools throughout the region.

Programming coordinated by WCU as part of the network began in July 2006 and has been supported, to date, by two grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission totaling $135,000.

The program facilitates college campus visits and seminars about attending college. In addition, a college access coordinator working through WCU’s Office of Teacher Recruitment and the Office of Admission meets weekly with high school students at partner high schools in Western North Carolina.

As part of the next phase of the program, the coordinator will be trained to teach the North Carolina Teacher Cadet course and then offer the course to as many as 60 students at partnering high schools. Participants will explore the education field in such ways as creating and teaching a lesson plan, and participating in a Teachers of Tomorrow conference at WCU.

ARC grants have supported the annual Teachers of Tomorrow conferences held at WCU – one for more than 250 high school and community college students and the other for more than 250 middle school students. At both, professional educators and speakers lead discussions and present information to aspiring teachers about the college admissions process; scholarships; diversity; teaching science, mathematics, exceptional children, literacy, arts, history and English; classroom management and curriculum topics.

The ARC grant-funded program is facilitated at WCU by the Office for Teacher Education Recruitment, Office of Rural Education and Office of Admission. Attending the governor’s announcement Monday on behalf of WCU’s participation in the network were Michael Dougherty, dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions; Kim Elliott, director of the Office of Teacher Education Recruitment; Laura Phillips, administrative support associate in the Office of Teacher Education Recruitment; Kenny Garland, principal of Hiwassee Dam High School in Cherokee County; and Tammy Roberts, counselor at Hiwassee Dam High School.

ARC was created by Congress in 1965 to improve the lives of people in Appalachia. The commission will make a final decision on projects to receive funding later this year.

For more information, contact Elliott by telephone at (828) 227-7347 or by e-mail at  kelliott@email.wcu.edu.

Maintained by the Office of Public Relations
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 13, 2009