CONGRESSMAN BISHOP ANNOUNCES $134,197 GRANT TO MERCER UNIVERSITY TO HELP INCREASE NUMBER OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS IN RURAL GEORGIA

MACON, Ga. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) is pleased to announce that Mercer University has been awarded $134,197 from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This award will establish a Grow-Your-Own (GYO) program for recruiting and supporting computer science (CS) teacher candidates in rural Georgia.

“I am pleased to announce that the National Science Foundation is making this investment in Mercer University which is working to develop a talented pool of Computer Science teachers that will return to communities across Middle and South Georgia, giving our students the opportunity to get the education they need to pursue careers in Georgia’s rapidly modernizing industries,” said Congressman Bishop. “Georgia is an emerging leader in manufacturing and the entertainment industries, both of which rely on professionals with Computer Science training. Additionally, longstanding drivers of Georgia’s economy – agriculture, financial services, and the military – also are increasingly dependent on STEM educated workers to remain on the cutting edge for America’s economic well-being and national security.”

“Mercer is very thankful that this project has been funded, as it will allow us to create a program to support students who want to return to their rural districts and teach Computer Science,” said Dr. Susie Morrissey, Assistant Professor at Mercer University’s Tift College of Education. “This will address the shortage of Computer Science teachers, and further benefit the community by providing a pathway into Computer Science careers for future students.”

This initiative is a continuation of a larger $1.5 million project which is designed to provide dual enrollment courses, stipends for two-year college courses, and scholarship funding for two years at Mercer University. Partnering with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, Mercer will use the grant to recruit future CS teachers from the current student population of eight school districts in rural Georgia. Mercer hopes to add more rural districts to the project in the coming years.

NSF is an independent federal agency that invests 25% of federal funding into American universities to drive innovation and advancement of the sciences.

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