Aug. 24, 2009

CSU Monterey Bay and two partners have been awarded $900,000 to help prepare future math teachers.

The university worked with Humboldt State and CSU Channel Islands to create the California Coast Noyce Scholarship Partnership. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Robert Noyce Scholarship program provides support to outstanding students who are committed to teach math once they earn a credential.

The grant will allow CSUMB to offer five scholarships per year for five years. Math majors starting in their junior year will be eligible, as well as students in the math credential program. Each student will receive $10,000 per year for a maximum of three years. Awards will be made beginning fall 2009.

Stipends will also be available for professionals who chose to enter a math credential program.

The project is expected to increase the number of credentialed math teachers who graduate from the three campuses from 33 per year to 66.

Scholarship recipients will make a commitment to teach a minimum of two years at a middle or high school that is classified as "high need." Those schools typically have a high percentage of students from low-income families, high teacher turnover rates and a shortage of teachers qualified to teach science and math.

Monthly support seminars will be available to the Noyce Scholars once they start teaching.

The grant is important because of a shortage of math teachers in the local area and statewide, CSUMB officials said.

"My hope is that the scholarships will encourage more math majors to chose teaching as a career," said Dr. Hongde Hu, chair of the math department at CSUMB. "Qualified math teachers can make a big difference in the lives of students and can also improve the economic potential of our region."

Local school districts participating in the grant include the Salinas Union High School District and the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

Congress passed the Robert Noyce National Math and Science Teachers Corps Act in 1990 as a tribute to the late Robert N. Noyce, co-inventor of the computer chip and founder of Intel.