Dr. Janet Painter (standing), chair of the Lenoir-Rhyne College School of Education, stays after class to help Denisse Robinson, a student from Hildebran who is studying to become a teacher of English as a second language. The college was recently notified of its acceptance into the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. It plans to enroll 15 Teaching Fellows next fall.

College to participate in Teaching Fellows Program

Lenoir-Rhyne College learned Monday, Nov. 6, that it has been selected to join the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. Of the 36 private colleges and universities in North Carolina, Lenoir-Rhyne is one of only five participating in the program.

Dr. Wayne B. Powell, Lenoir-Rhyne president, said, "The N.C. Teaching Fellows at Lenoir-Rhyne will allow this community to have access to some of the best and brightest teachers in the country. Lenoir-Rhyne is extremely pleased to be selected to offer this service to the state and the Hickory community.”

He noted that Lenoir-Rhyne's proposal was strengthened by the strong reputation of the college and its school of education, its existing outreach initiatives to the community, and the strong partnership with the community schools and the Chamber of
Commerce.

Dr. Duane Kirkman, special assistant for program development at L-R and former superintendent of the Hickory Public Schools, said: “The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program is considered the most prestigious teaching preparation program in the nation. It attracts the best and brightest students who want to make teaching their profession, and produces highly qualified educators and leaders for the state’s public schools.”

Each Teaching Fellow receives a $26,000 scholarship loan from the state, payable in $6,500 annual increments. The full loan is forgiven after the Fellow has completed four years of teaching in North Carolina public schools. In addition to receiving the scholarship loan, participants will be involved in a series of enrichment activities designed to develop leadership.
Lenoir-Rhyne plans to accept 15 Teaching Fellows for the freshman class that will enter in 2007. Additional students will be accepted in coming years.

The Teaching Fellows Program is highly competitive. “It’s like the Morehead program for educators,” said Kirkman, who noted that the graduates are highly sought after as employees. A profile of this year’s entering Teaching Fellows is as follows: average SAT of 1194, average weighted GPA of 4.3, top 7 percent of their high school class.

The college’s application was supported by the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce, which plans to offer four leadership-training events each year for the Teaching Fellows. “It’s a win-win anyway you look at it,” said Danny Hearn, president of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce. “Teacher recruitment and retention is one of the top three priorities of the Champions of Education.” He said that by involving the Teaching Fellows in the local community, the Chamber hopes to encourage them to remain in Catawba County after graduation.

In a letter of support, Dr. Ric Vandett, superintendent of the Hickory Public Schools, wrote: “The combined efforts of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce, Lenoir-Rhyne College and the Hickory Public Schools toward recruiting quality teachers to the Hickory Metro area would be enhanced with a Teaching Fellows Program at Lenoir-Rhyne College. I enthusiastically endorse and support Lenoir-Rhyne College in its effort to become a Teaching Fellows site, and I pledge the full support of the Hickory Public Schools to ensure that a quality program is in place.” The college’s application was also supported by Ron Deal, CEO of Wesley Hall Inc., who is a former member of the N.C. State Board of Education and chairman of the Catawba County Champions of Education initiative.

Dr. Janet Painter, chair of the Lenoir-Rhyne College School of Education, said: “We are delighted that the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission has selected Lenoir-Rhyne College as one of the new Teaching Fellow campuses. The commission’s goal of recruiting the brightest and best students to become teachers for North Carolina’s children is one we wholeheartedly support. It will be a privilege to welcome these students onto our campus and support their development as teacher leaders.” For more information about the L-R Teaching Fellows Program, contact her at 828-267-3423 or painterj@lrc.edu.