UTeach Arkansas Hosts Scholarship Contest for Incoming Freshmen

Fayetteville, Ark. – UTeach Arkansas is hosting a STEM video contest to encourage high school students to consider teaching math or science. STEM stands for science, math, technology and mathematics.

The prizes for the winners of the contest are three $5,000 scholarships. The high school seniors who create the winning 15-second-or-less videos demonstrating a STEM concept will receive a package that includes a $2,500 tuition credit at a participating Arkansas UTeach university (the University of Arkansas, University of Central Arkansas or the University of Arkansas-Little Rock), a laptop ($1,500), a graphing calculator ($250) and a $750 book voucher.

“This contest is a fun way to draw high school students’ attention to the great need to be met here in Arkansas,” said Shane Broadway, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. “It also gives them an opportunity to participate in a project that might pique their interest in teaching math or science – and there’s certainly a good incentive to win.”

UAteach is an innovative teacher preparation program which combines a four-year math or science degree with a minor in education allowing for more career options upon graduation. The UAteach program at the University of Arkansas is a joint program between the College of Education and Health Professions and the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. It is led by director Bryan Hill. The UAteach program in Fayetteville had 146 students enrolled in the spring of 2014 and it is projected to significantly grow over the next three to five years.

Scholarship contest entries must be posted on a social channel using #UTeachARScholarship, and applicants must provide a viewable link with their form submission on UTeachArkansas.org. Finalists will be selected based on accuracy, clarity and imagination.

The UTeach Arkansas Scholarship Package is available to any student entering college academic year 2015-16, who is a resident of Arkansas. Winners who attend a school other than the three universities listed above will forfeit the $2,500 tuition credit. The entry period is from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. The three winning entries will be announced January 2015. For more information, including example videos, visit UTeachArkansas.org.