SU Receives Most MHEC Project Grants in Maryland

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University has received $283,945 in three out of 11 grants recently given by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). No other campus received that many project grants.

The grant funding was part of more than $1 million distributed to eight institutions providing professional development to teachers as part of the federal government’s No Child Left Behind Act. SU’s portion represented the highest amount given on the Eastern Shore and the second highest in Maryland.

SU projects receiving funding from MHEC include the Maryland Science Allied Delmarva Enhancement Program for Teachers (ADEPT) and Inter-county Network for Quality Implementation of Reform-Enhanced Science (INQuIRE Science) programs. Targeting middle school teachers on the Eastern Shore, the programs provide in-service training to increase teachers’ science content knowledge; facilitate the transfer of this knowledge to classrooms; and improve middle school students’ knowledge and achievement.

"A concerted effort is being made to more fully integrate liberal arts and sciences faculty into our teacher preparation programs and to increase the interaction with in-service teachers in our region,” said Dr. Tom Jones, dean of the Henson School, which hosts the program.

The programs include four interconnected courses for teachers, modeling the National Science Education Standards. Reports from teachers participating in ADEPT  and INQuIRE Science programs document better classroom teaching and increased achievement by middle school students. MHEC funded $92,000 for the ADEPT program and $92,000 for the INQuIRE Science program. Principal investigator of the ADEPT grant is Dr. Joseph Howard. Principal investigator of INQuIRE grant is Dr. Edward Robeck.

SU also received grant funding for the Teaching All Learners (TAL) mentoring project, which provides training and mentoring support for secondary school teachers in Wicomico County. Focusing on reading, language arts and mathematics, TAL fulfills quality teacher requirements set in the school system’s five-year action plan and the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

TAL serves approximately 76 individuals and includes graduate instruction offered through the Seidel School and SU’s Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts. MHEC funded $99,946 for the program. Dr. Nomsa Geleta is the principal investigator. Other key personnel include Dr. Joaquin Vila.

SU also received a grant from MHEC’s College Preparation Intervention Program. For the fourth year, that grant  allows the University’s involvement in the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR-UP) in Somerset County Public Schools.

Partnering with Wor-Wic Community College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, SU faculty and students have mentored students in Somerset County’s Class of 2005 since they were in eighth grade. This year, as high school juniors, the students take state assessment examinations in geometry and reading. As a result, upcoming mentoring projects focus on geometry and English as well as biology. The program, with visits to the SU campus to learn about college life, includes two cultural and athletic events.

The University also received $74,916 from MHEC for its role in the GEAR-UP program. The initiative with Somerset County is a joint effort of SU’s Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology and Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies. Dr. Robert Tardiff is the principal investigator. Other key personnel include Dr. Michael Bardzell, Dr. Ernest Bond, Dr. Edward Robeck and Dr. John Bing.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.