“Teachers touch the future” (McAuliffe) like no other professionals. The imprint that educators leave on our world is infinite. Quality teachers are in high demand not only across our nation, but also in the state of North Carolina. Western Carolina University’s partnership with public schools is integral in assisting to address the teacher shortage.
North Carolina public schools will need more than 100,000 new teachers in the next 10 years. NC teacher education programs graduate approximately 3,000 teachers annually, meeting only 30% of the 10,000 teachers needed each year. The SUTEP Recruitment Committee is committed to supporting teaching as a profession and exploring creative recruitment initiatives.
The Recruitment Committee collaborates with Western North Carolina schools and other WCU programs and CEAP centers to assist in recruiting teachers for P-12 schools. Recruitment initiatives include:
- Hosting “Reach to Teach” in collaboration with the Office for Rural Education, the WCU Cherokee Center, the Curriculum Specialist for Diversity, and the Teaching Fellows Program
- Promoting “College Access Recruitment Day” on high school campuses. (Faculty and staff wear t-shirts from their alma maters and discuss post-secondary education with high school students.)
- Collaborating with the WCU Teacher Education Enrollment Plan Initiatives
- Serving as a resource for personnel directors in western North Carolina
- Facilitating a Speaker’s Bureau with guest speakers, resources, school visits, college access programs, and university student visits with Office of Teacher Recruitment and Teaching Fellows to promote teaching as a profession.
- Promoting the teaching profession to middle school students, high school students, community college students, undeclared majors, and second career professionals through marketing and publicity.
- Curriculum dialogues - please locate the curriculum dialogue section under the Office of Teacher Education Recruitment - Programming.