Calumet College launches scholarship for future teachers

Calumet College of St. Joseph, along with Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana and the Catholic Diocese of Gary, are launching the Northwest Indiana Teachers Scholarship. The partners say the new scholarship will offer full tuition for students who participate in the Transition to Teaching program at Calumet College of St. Joseph.

The organizations say they are investing $450,000 over three years to fund 10 scholarships each year.

“The education program at Calumet College of St. Joseph empowers teacher candidates to improve their personal lives and create a more equitable society through education,” said Johnny Craig, senior vice president for enrollment, marketing and athletics at Calumet College of St. Joseph. “We are thrilled to be able to make this investment in partnership with Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana and the Catholic Diocese of Gary and, in doing so, attract additional high-quality teachers to the Northwest Indiana Catholic school ecosystem.”

Transition to Teaching is a statewide program to help current career professionals with a bachelor’s degree make a career pivot into teaching. The program prepares students to teach early childhood education, elementary education, secondary classes, or all-grade classes.

Calumet says scholarship recipients can enroll in elementary and secondary licensure tracks beginning this fall and be fully licensed by fall 2023.

“Building a strong pipeline of teachers is an integral part of fulfilling Big Shoulders Fund’s mission to ensure that all children have access to a high-quality education in a safe and supportive environment,” said Dan Kozlowski, managing director of Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana. “We are honored to be able to invest in the future educators of Northwest Indiana, in partnership with Calumet College of St. Joseph and the Diocese of Gary, to help make becoming a teacher more accessible and provide aspiring educators with opportunities to make a transformative impact on students.”

Once they complete the program, Calumet says scholarship recipients will most likely be placed in a teaching position in one of the 20 schools in the Catholic Diocese of Gary, which are supported by Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana.

Applications are open through August 6. You can get more information and apply by clicking here.