June 3, 2002– Saint Peter’s College Uses Department of Higher Education Grant to Begin Unique Future Teachers Club
Jersey City, NJ – The Saint Peter’s College Department of Education has instituted New Jersey’s first college-run “Future Teachers Club” to interest urban, minority students in a teaching career. The club is funded through a grant from the New Jersey Department of Higher Education.
The Club allows students from 10 Hudson County high schools to spend a day at Saint Peter’s to learn about the teaching profession and what skills are necessary to become a teacher. The grant also provides for each school to have a paid coordinator who assists the students with regularly scheduled meetings and discussions.
The program falls under a three-year “Teacher Quality and Capacity” grant the College received from the Department of Higher Education.
“The program is designed to allow urban minorities the opportunity to learn what teaching is about with the ultimate goal of recruiting them into the profession,” Saint Peter’s Associate Professor and Education Department Chair James Jacobson said. “The students get a lot out of being on a college campus. They learn about what teachers actually do, what skills they have, what courses they take and how they do their job. Along with their being a shortage of minority teachers, there is also a greater shortage of minority teachers in the urban centers. Hopefully our Club can interest some of the kids to pursue a teaching career while staying at or near home.”
The following New Jersey high schools are involved in the program:
| Ferris | Saint Aloysius |
| Hoboken | Saint Dominic Academy |
| Hudson Catholic | Saint Peter’s Prep |
| Marist | Union Hill |
| North Bergen | Weehawken |
Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City and a branch campus, specializing in adult education, is located in Englewood Cliffs. Saint Peter’s also offers classes in downtown Jersey City near the waterfront financial district.