A subsidized masters program created to keep new teachers in rural Ohio has extended its application deadline.
Feb. 15 is the new deadline to apply for the Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellowship program, a program that arrived at OU two years ago and provides full tuition for those pursuing a masters in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine — STEMM fields.
The Woodrow Wilson National Teaching Fellowship Foundation partnered with OU to provide an opportunity that allows those with STEMM undergraduate degrees to teach in secondary schools, according to its website.
Students accepted to the program receive a $30,000 cash stipend but require a three-year teaching commitment in rural Ohio upon graduation.
OU is the only Woodrow Wilson Foundation partner school to also offer a full tuition waiver to students.
“We are more invested in the program than other schools because we are really trying to increase the quantity and the quality of math and science teachers in Appalachian counties,” said Cactus May, communications and design manager for The Patton College of Education.
The original recommended deadline to apply for the fellowship was Dec. 21 before its extension.
“This is a brand new program for us and we really want to get more people in the pool of applicants,” May said.
Six other Ohio schools participate in the fellowship program including John Carroll University, Ohio State University, University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton and University of Toledo, but OU is the only one focused on placing teachers in rural schools.
James Rademaker, a member of 2012’s cohort, works at Vinton County High School, a rural county west of Athens. Rademaker said that he has enjoyed the program and gets satisfaction in going to work with his students everyday.
Rademaker received a Bachelors of Science in applied mathematics from OU.
“I always thought about teaching but I never made the switch when I was an undergraduate student,” he said. “I didn’t want to go to a different school to get a masters degree, so this program was perfect for me.”
Anthony Bokar, another member of 2012’s cohort, also teaches in rural Nelsonville-York High School’s math department.
“I really enjoy working in Nelsonville, it’s a tight-knit community and they have all been great,” Bokar said.
Bokar entered the program because he was interested in teaching but OSU did not have an undergraduate education program at the time.
“The education I received through the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship program has been wonderful,” Bokar said. “I don’t think I would have received such a quality education in another program.”
Although the program is very intense and difficult, both Bokar and Rademaker said they thought it prepared them to go out and teach and make a difference in students’ lives.
“This program allows students to become highly trained teachers and make a difference in a community in need,” May said. “It creates a situation where everybody wins.”
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