Cumberland University is proud to offer a new Minority Teacher Scholarship beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. The scholarship will be available for minority students wanting to pursue a teaching degree at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The undergraduate scholarship will provide academic relief for up to 65 percent of the published tuition for a baccalaureate degree, and the scholarship at the master’s level can provide relief up to 60 percent of the published tuition.

A 2018 Report on Educator Diversity by the Tennessee Dept. of Education revealed that  teachers of color represented only 13% of the teacher population, while students of color represented 37% of the student population. The report also noted that in half of Tennessee’s 147 school districts, 95% of teachers were white, 40 districts had no African American teachers and 50 districts had no Hispanic teachers. 

“Studies show that students benefit from learning from those with diverse backgrounds,” said Dean of the School of Humanities, Education and the Arts Dr. Eric Cummings. “Teachers are some of the most influential people in the lives of students, and diversifying our pool of educators will directly benefit their future students and better prepare them for life in a multicultural society.” 

Any minority student with a high school GPA of 2.5 is eligible regardless of SAT or ACT and MAT or GRE scores. The scholarship will only be available to Tennessee residents. Applicants will meet with a panel of Cumberland faculty to determine eligibility.

“This scholarship was created to align with the Tennessee Department of Education’s goal of increasing the diversity within Tennessee’s teaching force,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Bill McKee. “Cumberland is committed to teacher education and this scholarship is a step forward in addressing the lack of educator diversity in classrooms across the state.” 

To learn more about this scholarship, visit  https://www.cumberland.edu/scholarships/.