For the ninth year in a row, hundreds of high school and community college students will descend upon the University of Northern Colorado’s campus in early February to learn first-hand what it takes to pursue a career in education at UNC’s Future Teacher Conference and Future Rural Teachers Summit.
These two free annual events are one of the many ways the university is addressing the current teaching shortage. Students who are interested in pursuing a career in education get the chance to tour campus, meet their peers and attend sessions such as A Mathematical Tug of War or Digital Classrooms and Dynamic Teaching, led by UNC veteran faculty, student teachers and more.
This year, for the first time, the university is awarding two scholarships to eligible* students who attend the Future Teacher Conference (FTC) on Feb. 2. Each $1,000 scholarship will be given to an undergraduate student who is starting at UNC in the fall of 2024.
“It is hard to believe this is the ninth year for the Future Teacher Conference. Each year we try to add something new, so I am pleased to unveil the $1,000 scholarship opportunity for two of our future teacher participants,” said Suzette Youngs, Ph.D., professor of Literacy Education, and co-founder of the conference. “The conference is an important step in UNC’s journey to build a community of teachers that have the potential to transform the future of education.”
The events bring together more than 500 prospective students, their parents, plus high school teachers and counselors. The Future Rural Teachers Summit (FRTS) is the late afternoon and evening of Feb. 1, and is geared toward students who are interested in teaching in a more rural setting, followed the next day by the conference.
The 2024 FTC features a keynote speech from Steve Spangler, Emmy Award-winner and one of Time Magazine’s most influential people, and the RFTS features a keynote speech from Susana Cordova, the Colorado Commissioner of Education.
Founded as a teacher’s college in 1889, UNC prepares and graduates more education professionals in the state of Colorado than any other university. The university has educated more than half of the teachers in Colorado and 30% of the Colorado’s Teachers of the Year award winners have been UNC alums.
Students, teachers, counselors and parents are all welcome to attend the events on Feb. 1 – 2. Registration is available online.
*Students must be present at the Future Teacher Conference on Feb. 2, 2024 to receive a scholarship. Students selected must be enrolled full-time in an undergraduate teacher licensure program for Fall 2024 on the Greeley Campus to receive the scholarship.
