JACKSON, Miss. – A new commitment of $28 million from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation marks a total investment of $42.1 million over 10 years into the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program, a collaborative teacher preparation program at the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University that provides both scholarships and an honors college-type experience for top students.

The new funding, which the universities will split, will sustain the program until 2021 and comes as METP leaders prepare for the program’s fifth class of new freshmen.

Meanwhile, METP seniors at both UM and MSU, who were recruited into the program’s charter class in 2013, are planning to graduate in May and enter Mississippi’s teacher workforce for the first time.

“The Hearin Foundation’s goal is to improve the economic status of Mississippi,” said Laurie H. McRee, a trustee of the Jackson-based foundation. “(We) believe that if you can help raise the level of education, you can raise the economic level of state, as well.

“It’s incredible to see the caliber of (students) the program is attracting. The fact that the universities are working together is just icing on the cake.”

“We hope that this provides a template for our state institutions to continue to work together for education, particularly with respect for teacher education,” said Alan Perry, a trustee of the Hearin Foundation and a member of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. “We hope that their example is followed by other institutions across our state.”

Enrollment information compiled by the two universities shows a significant uptick in both the number and quality of new college students entering teacher education programs at UM and MSU since 2013, as a result of METP.

“The METP is the culmination of hard work that’s been done by the leadership of Mississippi’s two largest universities – normally very spirited rivals – to come together to address a very critical issue for this state, the future quality of K-12 teaching,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. “The continuation of this vital partnership shows the confidence that the Hearin Foundation has in our universities to substantially address this need in a transformative way.”

The program is designed to attract the best and brightest students from around the nation, and the average ACT score for incoming METP freshmen at both institutions is approximately 30. Today, 146 students from 16 states are members of METP at the two institutions. More than 60 percent of participants come from Mississippi.

“METP is truly a high-impact, high-value investment in the future of our state, and we are very grateful to the Robert M. Hearin Foundation for its continued support,” UM Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said. “The METP scholars are exceptionally talented students who, as educators, will transform lives and communities throughout Mississippi.”

One of the nation’s most valuable scholarships, METP offers each recipient four years of tuition, housing expenses, living stipends, a study abroad experience, monies to attend conferences and more.

The study abroad experience, valued at more than $6,000 per student, is a huge draw to potential recruits. Last summer, students from UM and MSU traveled together to British Columbia where the rising seniors spent time studying education systems in a different cultural context.

“This is one of the most significant private gifts to attract top students into the teaching profession,” said David Rock, dean of the UM School of Education. “This investment shows the value and importance of teaching. The economic impact of this program cannot be overstated.”

“The College of Education is excited about the Hearin Foundation’s continued support for the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program,” said Richard Blackbourn, dean of the MSU College of Education. “These additional funds will allow us to expand the program, thereby increasing the number of outstanding teachers placed in Mississippi classrooms.”

Admission into the program has become increasingly competitive since 2013. As a result, the overall caliber of freshmen education majors has increased at both universities, according to data provided by the institutions.

At Ole Miss, the School of Education has seen the number of freshman education majors with a 28 or higher on the ACT rise from five in 2012 to 42 in 2016 and is enjoying a 94 percent retention rate of its students.

“We are thankful to the Hearin Foundation for the opportunity to continue to improve a program that will have a positive impact on Mississippi,” said Ryan Niemeyer, director of METP at UM. “Their commitment to improving teacher preparation is bringing in students who would have otherwise never pursued living and working in our state.”

At MSU, the College of Education has seen its number of students with a 28 or higher on the ACT rise from 26 in 2012 to 54 in 2016 and is experiencing a 90 percent retention rate.

The program was created in 2013 with a startup donation from Hearin of $12.9 million.

This is the third time the foundation has made an investment into METP. In 2016, it granted additional funds that allowed both universities to increase the program’s incoming cohort size from 20 to 30 students each, allowing 60 new students into the program each year.

For admission into the program, applicants must possess top academic credentials – typically at least a 28 on the ACT or comparable score on the SAT – but they must also demonstrate a dedication and passion for the teaching profession as part of an interview with education faculty members.

Another aspect of the program is that students from both universities get chances to study alongside each other every year. Each spring, as part of regular cross-campus visits, the students come together for a weekend of seminars to discuss education issues. The location for the cross-campus visits rotates between Starkville and Oxford.

“I feel like I am prepared for teaching because we have been in classrooms since freshmen year,” said Brenna Ferrell, an Ocean Springs native who will graduate from UM with a degree in secondary English education in May.

“METP creates a sense of comradery and group. I have a family at the School of Education. We lean on each other. I am really thankful that I got to be part of the first class. I think everyone is going to do great things.”

In 2016, METP also expanded from exclusively training secondary education majors to include elementary and special education majors, as well. UM and MSU expect to admit a combined total of 60 new METP students in August 2017.

Besides Ferrell, other UM students scheduled to graduate from the program in May are: Lydia Hall and Anna Claire Kelly, both secondary English education majors from Madison; Nancy “Bella” Hutson, a secondary mathematics education major from Liberty; Shelby Knighten, a secondary English education major r Gautier; Ben Logan, a secondary mathematics education major from Sherman; Kaypounyers Maye, a secondary English education major from Gulfport; Katianne Middleton, a secondary mathematics education major from Selma, Alabama; Abigail Null, a secondary English education major from Corinth; Emily Reynolds, a secondary English education major from Brandon; Rachel Sanchez, a secondary English education major from Southaven; Jenna Smiley, a secondary English education major from Meridian; Jake Wheeler, a secondary mathematics education major from St. Johns, Florida; and Kaye Leigh Whitfield, a secondary English education major from Birmingham, Alabama.

OXFORD, Miss. – Willie Price Lab School, a pre-K facility operated by the University of Mississippi School of Education, has made a sizeable donation to the Lafayette County School District with the gift of its existing playground as the preschool makes plans to replace the play structure.

Coordinated by members of Lafayette’s parent-teacher organization, the playground soon will be used by children at Lafayette, which did not previously have a playground for its lower elementary school. Willie Price will upgrade its facility with the installation of a new playground later this winter.

“Our playground was better-suited for children who are a little bit older, like the children at Lafayette,” explained Sarah Langley, Willie Price director. “So, when we were approached by the Lafayette PTO, we thought it was a perfect solution. (That playground) still has a lot of life left in her!”

Willie Price administrators decided to upgrade the facility in preparation for the preschool to become accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The new playground will be purchased with funding from a grant from the Mississippi Department of Education.

Lafayette PTO members, including Pam Swain and Amanda Winburn, played key roles in the coordination of the gift by working with staff at Willie Price and Lafayette.

“I have two daughters in the Lafayette School District, so when I heard Sarah talking about Willie Price’s new play equipment, I put two and two together,” said Winburn, UM assistant professor of counselor education and a Lafayette PTO member. “I think this is a wonderful example of how it takes a village to provide for opportunities our children.”

Oxford-based company McGregor Industrial Steel Fabrication donated the workforce and resources needed to move the structure from Willie Price to the Lafayette campus on Nov. 15.

The structure will be split into two pieces at its new location. Part of the playground will be used by Lafayette’s lower elementary school and part of it will be used by the district’s special education program.

“We started raising money a couple of years ago to build a new playground (at Lafayette),” said Swain, who serves as president of Lafayette’s upper elementary PTO.

“So now, this will allow us to use the money we’ve raised to build new fencing. This puts us light years ahead of where we thought we could be in the process.”

Willie Price’s new structure will be installed in the coming months and the preschool will host a silent auction fundraiser in January to raise additional money for additional playground features such as balance beams, conversation benches and shades to add to the overall design of the playground.

OXFORD, Miss. – The 30 outstanding freshmen who comprise the fourth class of the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program at the University of Mississippi posted an average ACT score of 29.7, making it the program’s largest and most academically accomplished incoming cohort yet.

Originally designed for secondary education majors, the METP scholarship program has expanded to accept students majoring in elementary education and special education. It also increased its maximum cohort size from 20 to 30 students, thanks to $600,000 in new funding from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation in Jackson.

The freshmen, who come to Ole Miss from nine states, met with faculty and administrators recently during the program’s orientation at the Lyceum. This new cohort brings the number of METP scholarship recipients at UM to 75, and the first class of the program will graduate this May.

“I’m here to welcome you and to thank you for your commitment to go out and change the world,” Provost Morris Stocks told the group at the orientation.

“I am committed to our university and its efforts to transform lives. People who come to us as students go on to change the lives of others, so I am thankful that you care so much about education.”

The incoming freshmen are: Claire Alexander of Moorpark, California; Grace Cauley of Cairo, Georgia; Jessica Flach of St. Louis; Dakota Ford of Dawson Springs, Kentucky; Jordan Freeman of Bishop, Georgia; Claire Gershon of Oxford; Caroline Glaze of Hattiesburg; Zachary Goodrow of Southaven; Heather Grayson of Shawnee, Kansas; Arielle Hudson of Dundee; Kendall Kern of Hernando; Kayleigh Keyes of Monroe, Louisiana; Mary King of Brandon; Melissa McCann of Munster, Indiana; Ashley McDaniel of Corinth; Elizabeth McDowell of Ocean Springs; Jessa McEntire of Newton, Alabama; Holly McGinnis of Hernando; Morgan Moak of Clinton; Amanda Moore of Roanoke, Texas; Gregory Parker of Lucedale; Shelby Phillips of Corinth; Emily Rose of Southaven; Kalissa Rydeen of Frisco, Texas; Ashlign Shoemaker of Horn Lake; Kameron Shook of Ridgeland; Christopher Shute of Brandon; Sarah Sproles of Brookhaven; Sara Valentine of Oxford and Christianna Van Hooreweghe of Spring, Texas.

Established in 2012 with nearly $13 million from the Hearin Foundation, the METP scholarship covers up to four years of tuition, housing, living expenses, study abroad and more.

“There is no other program like this in the nation,” UM Dean of the School of Education David Rock told the students. “You are going to be challenged and start gaining experience in the classroom from freshman year.

“You will travel outside Mississippi and beyond the borders of our nation to learn how education is different across the world. We do all of this because we believe you can choose no greater profession than teaching.”

The program previously focused on recruiting top-performing students into teaching at the secondary level. The recent investment in METP will allow a broader mix of top-performing education students to enter the program.

“Our program that has grown rapidly in just a few years,” said Ryan Niemeyer, METP director. “Each year, the admissions process becomes more competitive and we’re seeing applications from as far away as California now.

“These are high-performing students who want to move across the nation, come to Ole Miss and stay in our state as a teacher. We’re very proud of this.”

METP held its first study abroad experience for seniors last June when it took UM students to different places in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. During the trip, METP students and faculty had chances to meet with educators in multiple Canadian schools and at the University of British Columbia.

For the past two years, the program has also taken its rising juniors on a trip to Washington, D.C., to study American education from a policy perspective, as well.

“I was most attracted to METP because of the opportunities it provides,” said Alexander, an English education major. “I never thought I’d be able to find a program that would send me on a study abroad trip, pay for my education and help provide a fulfilling job once I graduate.”

All graduates of the program make a five-year commitment to teach in a Mississippi public school following graduation. However, this service commitment may be deferred for three years if a graduate wants to pursue graduate studies before teaching.

“I was blessed to have multiple teachers in high school who went above and beyond for me,” said Glaze, who is majoring in secondary mathematics education. “I believe that teachers are some of the most influential people in people’s lives and I hope to be able to change students’ lives one day.”

For more information on programs in the UM School of Education, go to http://education.olemiss.edu/.