Native Americans majoring in Education may benefit from SOSU scholarship

Press Release Date: 07-13-2005

Native American students majoring in Education in their junior or senior year of college can benefit by a new scholarship offered at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, thanks to a team effort by the Choctaw Nation and SOSU.

The tribe and university have been awarded a federal grant of $965,245 over the next four years that can pay costs related to tuition, books and daycare for the students, as well as offer a monthly allowance. In return, the recipients agree to teach in an area where at least 25% of the population is Native American.

The grant comes from the United States Department of Education as part of the Office of Indian Education’s Professional Development program, which trains qualified individuals to become teachers and administrators in Indian communities.

“I am thrilled with the announcement of this grant totaling almost a million dollars,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “This agreement will assist many tribal members, and will also fill much needed slots at schools in the Choctaw Nation.”

“The award of the grant reflects the strong partnership between SOSU and the Choctaw Nation and their joint commitment to providing quality education,” said Southeastern President Dr. Glen D. Johnson. “The goal of the Native American Excellence in Education Project is to recruit and train 12 highly qualified Native American students and place the participants in area schools with high Native American student populations. We are excited about working with the Choctaw Nation to implement this innovative program.”

Chief Pyle voiced his appreciation of the team from Choctaw Nation who focused so much of their time toward applying for this grant.

“Our grants department, ran by John Jackson and staffed by Angel Rowland and Dana Buchanan, performed exceptionally in the grant writing process. Their research skills, writing aptitude and overall dedication were instrumental in receiving this money.”

Participating in the grant writing project from Southeastern were Dr. Charles Weiner, Principal Investigator of the grant who serves as Director of Student Learning and Research and Coordinator, North Central Accreditation; Tim Boatmun, Director of the Academic Advising & Outreach Center (AAOC); Shari Williams, Native American Counselor at the AAOC; Ann McCullough, Academic Counselor at the AAOC; Dr. Charles Hickox, Director of Continuing Education; and Leah Anne Brooks, Coordinator of Research & Sponsored Programs.

The project director for the scholarship grant at SOSU is Shari Williams, a Choctaw employed at the University the last three years serving as the Native American Counselor. SOSU currently has over 450 elementaryeducation majors with more than 25% being Native American.

“With these grants, we do more than ask for excellence, we provide the tools to create it,” said Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings. “We want to open up new worlds of opportunity for Indian families and communities.”

A specialized counselor will be hired to work with each of the students on the program to manage every aspect of their education. To be eligible for the grant, applicants must have 56 hours of college credit and at least a 2.5 grade point average.

Staff and planning will be put in place for this fall with a few students fast tracked into the program. Applications will be available at the first of the year for the remainder of the scholarship. Full implementation will begin in August, 2006.

A survey of 12 schools in Oklahoma, including Battiest, Canadian, Bokoshe, Caddo, Dixon, Harmony and Wright City show that an average of 43% of the students were Native American, yet the ratio of Native students to Native teachers at the same schools was 54-1.