McAuliffe scholarship available to teachers

November 11, 2002

The Maryland Higher Education Commission is accepting applications for the Sharon Christa McAuliffe Memorial Teacher Education Award for the 2003-04 academic year.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 31.

Scholarships are awarded to Maryland residents who have earned at least 60 college credits, to college graduates and to teachers in a noncritical shortage area.

The goal of the program is to encourage students to teach in shortage areas, which include chemistry, computer science, earth/space science, English for Speakers of Other Languages, mathematics, physical science, physics, Spanish, generic special education, special education for the severely and profoundly handicapped and visually impaired and technical education.

To be eligible, a student must enroll full-time or part-time at a four-year college or university in a degree-seeking undergraduate program that offers a major in the shortage area.

Recipients of the scholarship must maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

The maximum award of the scholarship is equivalent to the amount of tuition, mandatory fees and room and board for a student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County - approximately $13,286 a year.

Persons receiving the scholarship must agree to work as a teacher in the shortage area one year for each year the award was received.

The Sharon Christa McAuliffe Memorial Teacher Education Award was named in honor of McAuliffe, the first teacher to fly in space. A native of Boston, she earned a master's degree from Bowie State University.

McAuliffe died in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

For information, contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance at the Maryland Higher Education Commission at 1-410-260-4565 or 1-800-974-1024 or visit www.mhec.state.md.us.

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