To Combat Teacher Shortage, Lawrence’s Rider U. Increases Education Scholarship

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — As the countrywide teacher shortage continues, Lawrence Township’s Rider University has taken steps to encourage more prospective educators to join the field.

The University recently increased the award amount of its Teacher Education Scholarship. The University began the scholarship program earlier this year to increase the pool of qualified educators.

Qualified, incoming undergraduate education majors can now receive up to $5,000 toward their studies.

“There are a number of reasons why teaching positions are difficult to fill throughout the country — large numbers of retirements and those leaving the field, and less students earning teaching degrees,” Dr. Susan Dougherty, chair of Rider’s Department of Teacher Education said in a statement.

“There can also be some financial roadblocks to becoming a teacher. By increasing the scholarship award for students who plan to dedicate their career to this vital profession, we hope to alleviate some of their financial burden.”

The scholarship is open to first-year and transfer students who enroll as undergraduate elementary education, secondary education or music education majors beginning their studies in the fall 2024 semester.

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, enroll in 12 credits per semester and remain in good academic standing.

Rider’s teacher preparation programs ensure students are prepared for teaching in multiple environments including in-person, virtual and hybrid modalities.

Undergraduate students participate in numerous fieldwork experiences beginning sophomore year. Students typically have at least one or multiple fieldwork experiences per semester, culminating in a full-semester, student-teaching experience their senior year.

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