Universities Receive Funding for Math and Science Teacher Training
IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Twelve U.S. universities will receive more than $25 million from the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) to help increase the number of graduates with enhanced math and science teaching skills. NMSI is supported primarily by a $125-million grant from Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM).
"As a company that employs 14,000 engineers and scientists, ExxonMobil knows how important it is to provide the best education and training possible for our nation's young people," said Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive. "We are proud to be part of this important effort to begin to address the critical shortage of math and science teachers in our schools."
NMSI is awarding the grants, of up to $2.4 million each, to the universities to start programs modeled after UTeach, a highly successful teacher preparation program at The University of Texas at Austin. The first recipients, Florida State University and the University of Florida, were announced at a ceremony today, and additional grants will be announced in the days ahead.
"The UTeach program invests in the teachers of those who will become future leaders in key technology industries critical to the development and competitiveness of the United States," said Tom Luce, CEO of NMSI, a non-profit organization, created with support from ExxonMobil, to advance U.S. math and science education.
"As society demands more and more technological advancements, investments in those who teach in math, science, and technology become critical for continuous success and long-term growth."
NMSI hopes to fund the creation of many more UTeach programs on campuses across the country in the years ahead with a goal of making the UTeach program the national standard in math and science teacher preparation.
"UTeach has proven a very successful model for preparing our next-generation science and math teachers," said Dr. Mary Ann Rankin, dean of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, where UTeach was developed.
"We're very excited to have the opportunity to replicate the program at universities across the Unites States. The more the program spreads, the more fine teachers we will be producing to inspire and educate our nation's children to discover and create new science and technology for the future."
About Exxon Mobil Corporation
Exxon Mobil Corporation is a leading international energy company whose subsidiaries have operations in most of the world's countries. In the United States, ExxonMobil has significant exploration and production, refining and marketing and chemicals operations. ExxonMobil is one of the largest oil and gas producers and reserves holders in the United States, with a portfolio including Alaska, onshore Gulf Coast and deepwater Gulf of Mexico. In addition, there are approximately 13,000 Exxon and Mobil branded service stations in the U.S., as well as seven refineries, four of which are integrated petrochemical facilities. For more information about ExxonMobil, please visit the company's website at www.exxonmobil.com.
About the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI)
NMSI is an innovative non-profit organization created to scale programs proven to positively impact math and science education in the U.S. For more information about NMSI, please visit their website at www.nationalmathandscience.org.
About The UTeach Institute
The UTeach Institute was created to provide direction and leadership to expand and replicate the UTeach mathematics, science, and computer science teacher preparation program at universities across the nation. The primary goal of replicating UTeach is to increase the quantity and quality of mathematics, science, and computer science teachers in schools. UTeach is a highly innovative and successful teacher preparation program, which has doubled the number of mathematics and science majors being certified at The University of Texas at Austin. For more information on the UTeach Institute, please visit their website at www.uteach-institute.org.
Source: Exxon Mobil Corporation
Released November 14, 2007