Marian University announces creation of Educators College

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a news conference in the Indiana State House today, Marian University president Daniel J. Elsener announced the creation of a new school of education—the Educators College—and a partnership with the State of Indiana that will allow students who want to become teachers to enroll in the program on full scholarship.

Earlier this year, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation that provides up to $30,000 ($7,500 per year for four years) in scholarships to 200 high achieving high school or college students who enroll in schools of education and accept teaching positions in Indiana upon graduation. Dubbed the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship (NGHES), the legislation is intended to help recruit high achieving students to the teacher profession, and retain them in-state after graduation.

Surrounded by government officials, K-12 education experts, and prominent business leaders, Elsener announced that as many as 25 students who receive the NGHES from the State will also receive supplemental scholarships from Marian University, covering the balance of their tuition. Additionally, if the NGHES student is in the State's 21st Century Scholars program, Marian University will also cover the cost of that student's room and board.

"If we expect more from our education students, then we must be prepared for them to expect more from us," Elsener said. "Marian University will pair our scholarship dollars with outside programs and funds to ensure that our Educators College is attracting the best and brightest future teachers in the state, regardless of their financial situations."

Marian University's latest academic initiative is already being compared by Education Week to similar programs at Harvard University and New York University, in that it will feature a bachelor's/master's degree program, substantial financial aid opportunities, an enhanced curriculum, study abroad opportunities, and a pioneering, one-year clinical residency program within K-12 Catholic, charter, and public schools across the region.

"Marian University has been a teachers college since its founding 80 years ago, and we've never wavered from the mission to place our students in the highest need classrooms all across the United States," Elsener stated. "With education at all levels more important than ever before, the Educators College at Marian University will make a lasting, substantial impact on our schools and our students."

Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers, Tindley Preparatory Academy principal David McGuire, and founder and chairman of the Institute for Quality Education Fred Klipsch joined Elsener in describing the critical need for an updated, innovative approach to training our teachers and school leaders, as well as providing additional support for K-12 schools across the state and country.

"The Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship program is the perfect complement to Marian University's new Educators College," said Brian Bosma, Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives. "Working together to provide critical financial assistance to future education leaders, we can keep the best and brightest in the classroom right here in Indiana."

"We must never shrink from our responsibility to improve both our K-12 schools and our schools of education," said Teresa Lubbers, commissioner, Indiana Commission on Higher Education. "The innovative approach within the Educators College at Marian University will prepare students to be effective teachers on day one and provide students with the funding necessary to alleviate the crippling debt so many of our teachers face after leaving college."

"I need teachers who are adequately prepared for the classroom beginning their first day on the job," David McGuire, principal at Tindley Preparatory Academy and executive director of Direct ME Foundation, Inc., said "I also need teachers who reflect the diversity of my student body. Marian University's Educators College is going to address both of those needs through an innovative curriculum, a unique residency program, and scholarships that will allow underserved populations to enter the honorable profession of teaching virtually debt-free."

"For Indiana's economy to continue to grow, we must continue to invest in educational choice and innovate in classrooms across all types of schools – public, charter, and private," said Fred Klipsch, founder and chairman, Hoosiers for Quality Education. "Business leaders and education professionals should applaud Marian University's drive to improve how we educate our teachers and its willingness to devote the resources needed to attract our top students."

The Educators College is accepting applications now for students interested in enrolling for the 2017-18 school year. The state will accept applications for the NGHES scholarship from November 1-December 31, and will now announce the recipients of the 200 scholarships by April 15, 2017.

For more information, please visit www.marian.edu/educators-college.

About Marian University Indianapolis
Marian University (www.marian.edu), founded in Indianapolis in 1937, is the only Catholic liberal arts university in central Indiana. It serves a student body of nearly 3,000 through dedication to excellent teaching and learning in the Franciscan and liberal arts traditions. Marian University is one of Indiana's 31 independent colleges and one of 244 Catholic colleges and universities nationwide. Since 2001, Marian University has been led by President Daniel J. Elsener, whose vision and leadership are transforming the university. In 2013, Marian University opened the Michael A. Evans Center for Health Sciences, home to its College of Osteopathic Medicine. Marian University has amassed 35 national championships in cycling, captured the NAIA Football National Championship in 2012 and 2015, and won the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship in 2016.

Contact: Mark Apple | 317.519.8592 | [email protected]

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