Contact Information ACCESS APPLICATION HERE
Jo Anna L Owens, MLS IPL
Education Coordinator
Lanoy Education Building, 157
580-559-5348
idream@ecok.edu
The Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence (Hawkins) Program is a federal grant program aimed at supporting teacher preparation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges, authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965. For this funding opportunity, East Central University College of Education & Psychology proposed ECU Increased Diversity through Resources, Education, Allies, and Mentorship (I-DREAM) Center of Excellence in Educator Preparation to increase the representation of First Americans/minorities in Oklahoma’s teacher pipeline by encouraging persistence utilizing the Family Education Model (FEM), shown to be beneficial in evidence-based projects in tribal colleges across the country, as well financial, academic, and holistic resources, and other evidence-based high impact educational practices and experiences for students pursuing careers in teaching and administration, emphasizing cultural language components to foster a deeper cultural connection. ECU is proud to announce this proposal was awarded $3.1m over the next five years to that end.
I-DREAM is primarily aimed at First American undergraduate education students, who are living on campus or locally to ECU. Studies show that First American students in higher education thrive when supported by family, community involvement, and strong institutional commitment. This program will also invest in the campus experience for all First American students through subsidizing the budget for the Native American Student Association. While other under-represented groups are included in eligibility criteria, identifying as indigenous and residing on campus is weighted heavily for selection.
Student Services:
- 30 student spots open annually
- $3000 scholarship per semester
- $1000 scholarship subsidy for students with dependents per semester
- Stipends for students who choose to join a language immersion program
- Additional tuition assistance toward I-DREAM required indigenous language coursework
- Tribal Language
- Spanish
- Additional clinical opportunities for undergrads and graduate education students
- 2 Undergraduate administrative support student worker opportunities annually
- 8 Undergraduate internships annually
- Summer Curriculum Development Camp Internship including on campus room and board
- 3 Graduate Assistant opportunities annually
- 2 administrative support
- 1 leadership role over Summer Curriculum Development Camp including campus room and board and leadership training
- Mentorship program (students and mentors compensated)
- Local school teacher mentor
- Local school Administrator mentor
- Paid travel to annual Oklahoma Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Convention for every participant
- Laptop Loan program
- Emergency fund for wrap-around services
- Annual Networking Banquet – invite students + 2 guests, mentors, and Education faculty
- Assistance with testing and certification fees
- Student Teaching Fellowship - $2000 during student teaching semester
- Recruiting efforts at public schools in ECU service area
- Employment Incentive - $1000 stipend upon one year of employment with an Oklahoma public school
Faculty/Curriculum
- Culturally sensitive advising training for faculty advisors across campus
- Culturally sensitive curriculum updates in core education courses
Campus Life
- Cash infusion for Native American Students Association (NASA) activities - $47,500 over 5 years
- Student Family Resource Contact & NASA sponsor – to ease the minds of indigenous families sending their kids off to college
- 2x VIP passes to ECU sports and fine art events for each participant to share with their family
Eligible Programs
- Undergrad:
- Elementary Education
- Early Childhood Education
- Art Teacher Certification
- Biology Teacher Certification
- English Teacher Certification
- History Teacher Certification
- Mathematics Teacher Certification
- instrumental Music Teacher Certification
- Physics Teacher Certification
- Graduate
- Education Leadership M Ed
- Special Education M Ed
- Library Media M Ed
- Sports Administration
- Doctoral
- Rural Education Ed D
