OSU-Tulsa grad school fair targets teachers
BY SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Thursday, July 01, 2010
7/01/10 at 4:44 AM
Several Tulsa-area teachers are considering going to the other side of the desk and becoming students again.
Oklahoma State University-Tulsa organized an Education Fair for Wednesday to inform teachers and educators about its education graduate program and the several scholarships and financial aid opportunities available.
This was OSU-Tulsa's first graduate fair specifically for the education program.
"We were concerned because of so many teacher and faculty layoffs," said Lori Coggins, who manages the university's graduate student services center. "I don't know that a lot of people know it's available."
Stacey Coleman, a coordinator of graduate student services, said: "I've had some teachers in my office that have been laid off. They're literally crying in my office."
It's a similar story for those who just earned a bachelor's degree in education but can't find a job, she said.
"There's nothing out there," she said. "Might as well continue on and get that master's degree until they can find a job."
Kendra Roulet, who attended the fair, has taught at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs for 15 years, but the recent budget cuts have her concerned.
"Just in case the situation happens again, I want to be prepared," she said.
Becki Pierce, who teaches prekindergarten classes at Mannford Elementary School, came with Roulet to the fair for the same reasons.
"It gives us more marketability," she said. "Definitely want to try to get started on something."
Coggins said that most of the graduate students who attend OSU-Tulsa are in the education program, taking classes at night while they teach or work during the day.
Sonya Munsell, a special education teacher at Sapulpa High School, said having OSU-Tulsa offer the graduate program is a plus.
"I'm getting my Ph.D. and trying to decide what avenue I want to take," she said. "I'd like to continue to work and go to school, and that's the best option."
Nicole Petty, who teaches fifth grade at Hawthorne Elementary School in Tulsa, said she came to the education fair to learn about scholarship opportunities, even though she's currently in a master's degree program at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.
"I wanted to compare programs. See how the OU program compares with the OSU program," she said.
Those who attended the fair could learn about the university's new $750 graduate education scholarship for students in OSU's education master's degree and doctorate programs as well as the federal TEACH grants of as much as $4,000.
Original Print Headline: OSU-Tulsa puts on graduate school fair for teachers
Sara Plummer 581-8465
sara.plummer@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Nicole Petty, a fifth-grade teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School, talks Wednesday with Trey Alward, a coordinator of graduate student services at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, about continuing her education at the campus. ZACH GRAY/Tulsa World
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