Western Illinois University's Great River Teacher Corps (GRTC) program is meeting the need for more rural teachers by offering education student scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year.
Thanks to the Tracy Family Foundation, Galesburg Community Foundation, the Quincy-based Community Foundation of West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri, The Fellheimer Trust, based in Macomb, area banks and individual donors, eight student scholarships are available.
Students will receive between $8,000-14,000 in scholarship assistance through donations, and, in turn, commit to teaching in a rural or small school in a 22-county area in west central Illinois (Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cast, Fulton, Greene, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mason, McDonough, Mercer, Morgan, Peoria, Pike, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, Stark, Tazewell and Warren) for a minimum of three years after receiving their teaching licenses/certificates.
"We are very proud to increase the number of scholarships this year," said Greg Montalvo, assistant dean for educator preparation for the WIU College of Education and Human Services (COEHS). "We recognize the need for teachers in rural schools. The support from the region allows us to add to the network of teachers who want to work in school districts in west central Illinois."
The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Saturday, Aug. 1.
For more information, to donate to the scholarship fund or to apply for the scholarship and view all of the requirements, visit wiu.edu/grtc.