FSU and UF team up to improve math and science

Colleges & Universities A-Z Florida State University
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<p>TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — *Supported by up to $10 million in grant money and state matching funds, two Florida universities today announced a new initiative designed to give a major boost to math and science education in the state’s schools.</p>

<p>Representatives from Florida State University and the University of Florida met in Tallahassee to describe new plans to create programs to recruit more math and science majors into the teaching profession. To support their efforts, each university will receive up to $2.4 million over five years from the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), an innovative not-for-profit organization launched by ExxonMobil in early 2007 to address one of the nation’s greatest economic and intellectual threats — the declining number of teachers qualified to effectively teach science, mathematics and computer sciences to K-12 students.</p>

<p>In addition, FSU and UF each will receive support in the amount of $1 million from the Helios Education Foundation, another not-for-profit organization, to fund their respective initiatives. With matching funds provided by the Florida Legislature, each university will have a total of approximately $5 million to launch its program.</p>

<p>“To flourish in the 21st century, the United States must continue to generate intellectual capital that can drive the research and development activities that fuel our economic engine,” said FSU President T.K. Wetherell. “This is dependent on the next generation of scientists. At Florida State University, we are honored to have been selected to play such an important role in helping to develop those scientists.”</p>

<p>“These grants from NMSI and Helios will help University of Florida educators head off a scientific ‘brain drain’ by putting bright scientific minds into teaching positions in public school classrooms,” said UF Provost Janie Fouke. “It’s a great way for the academic world to serve the public and help our nation’s economy.”</p>

<p>At FSU, the new initiative, to be known as FSU-Teach, will be administered by Joseph Travis, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Marcy P. Driscoll, dean of the College of Education. At UF, Tom Dana, director of the School of Teaching and Learning, and Alan Dorsey, chairman of the Department of Physics, will lead that university’s program, which will go by the name of FloridaTeach.*</p>

<p>Another example of the two oldest universities cooperating.</p>

<p>See: InsideUF</a> - Two Florida universities launch major math, science initiatives</p>