Date:
9/16/2005
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
PORTALES—Eastern New Mexico Universityprofessors Trish Maguire, Claudia Bird and Kathleen Tayler arereceiving $3,000 matching grants from ENMU to pursue their Ph.D.s in acooperative program with the New Mexico Higher Education Department inthe Minority Doctoral Assistance Loan-for-Service Program.
Thepurpose of the program is to address New Mexico's teacher shortage byproviding students with the financial means to complete or enhancetheir postsecondary teacher preparation education.
NewMexico residents enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or alternativelicensure teacher preparation program at a New Mexico college oruniversity which has been approved by the New Mexico State Board ofEducation are eligible. The amount of the award is dependent upon therelative need of the student.
Maguire,assistant professor of computer information systems, says, "It is anincredible opportunity. The idea of this program is to promote womenand minorities to work on their Ph.D. while teaching." Maguire isworking on her doctorate at New Mexico State University.
Birdis getting her doctorate via a distance education program from NovaSoutheastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The instructor ofcommunicative disorders says, "The Minority Doctoral Fellowship hashelped me tremendously. There are very few opportunities for people inthe Portales area or in New Mexico to gain a doctoral degree incommunicative disorders. The Minority Doctoral Assistance Program hasmade it possible for me to continue my education."
Tayler,instructor of reading education, is getting a doctorate in curriculumand instruction with an emphasis in language and literacy from TexasTech University. "There is no way I could have afforded a Ph.D. programwithout the financial aid this grant provided," says Tayler. "It hasgiven me an opportunity which, otherwise, would not have beenavailable."
