Support Opportunities

The Theory and Practice in Teacher Education Support Fund (General Fund) was established for the purpose of supporting faculty and student exploratory research and new instructional initiatives. The funds are distributed by the department head only when faculty (and students who are working with faculty) submit proposals and budget justification statements that describe the purpose and need for the project and what the outcomes will be if the project is funded. Often, support funds are used as seed money to support new research and teaching initiatives that lead to the preparation of much larger proposals. Support the Theory and Practice Teacher Education Support Fund (General Fund)

The Content Area Teaching Support Fund provides monetary support for students and/or faculty in the content areas of teaching (English/language arts/reading/social science/math/ science) to engage in opportunities (e.g., travel to professional conferences, expenses associated with research generation and/or dissemination) designed to promote professional development, scholarship, and/or excellence in teaching. Support the Content Area Support Fund (General Fund)

The Deafness and Educational Interpreting (Deafness Enrichment) Fund fund provides monetary support for students and/or faculty in the areas of deafness and educational interpreting to engage in opportunities (e.g., travel to professional conferences, expenses associated with research generation and/or dissemination) designed to promote professional development, scholarship, and/or excellence in teaching. Support the Deafness and Educational Interpreting (Deafness Enrichment) Fund

The Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature is an accessible and comprehensive resource for all people who wish to engage and empower young readers through quality contemporary children’s and young adult literature. Guided by this belief, it is the mission of the center to provide access to and information about quality literature and to provide resources to current and future teachers, librarians, community members, and scholars in order to create engagement and empowerment around reading for young people. This is accomplished through maintaining a browsing collection highlighting the newest children’s and YA books released over the last 18 months; creating partnerships with literacy scholars and practitioners committed to educator and family support, advocacy, research, and outreach; offering customized professional development workshops for school districts to incorporate relevant and engaging children’s and young adult literature into their curricula; and creating and facilitating outreach to the community through author visits, a We Read YA book club, Best of the Best book workshops, contests, and other opportunities to create an experience that will foster social justice, empathy, and joy around literature. Support the Center for Children’s & Young Adult Literature Fund

The Education Technology Support Fund provides monetary support for students and/or faculty in the areas of educational technology to engage in opportunities (e.g., travel to professional conferences, expenses associated with research generation and/or dissemination) designed to promote professional development, scholarship, and/or excellence in teaching. Support the Educational Technology Fund

This Elementary Education / Special Education Support Fund provides monetary support for students and/or faculty in the areas of elementary education and special education to engage in opportunities (e.g., travel to professional conferences, expenses associated with research generation and/or dissemination) designed to promote professional development, scholarship, and/or excellence in teaching. Support the Elementary Education / Special Education Support Fund

The ESL/World Language/Art Education Support Fund provides monetary support for students and/or faculty in the areas of English as a second language, world languages, and/or art education to engage in opportunities (e.g., travel to professional conferences, expenses associated with research generation and/or dissemination) designed to promote professional development, scholarship, and/or excellence in teaching. Support ESL/World Language/Art Education Support Fund

The Full Service Collaborative Project Enrichment Fund provides monetary support for the University Assisted Community Schools (UACS) program. Through UACS, UT students, faculty, and staff provide school children academic support services, physical education, music, and art programs after regular school hours. With these programs, UACS is able to enhance the interpersonal skills, critical-thinking skills, and academic success of participating children. UACS also provides opportunities and services to community members through programs such as community gardens, Monthly Meals with a Mission, and adult education. With these programs, UACS is able to enhance the interpersonal skills, critical-thinking skills, and academic success of participating children. University-Assisted Community Schools began as a grant-based initiative serving Pond Gap Elementary School students and community members in 2010. Today, this service-learning program also extends its programs and services to Inskip Elementary School. Support the Full Service Collaborative Project Enrichment Fund

The Full Service Community Schools Support Fund provides monetary support for the University Assisted Community Schools (UACS) program. Through UACS, UT students, faculty, and staff provide school children academic support services, physical education, music, and art programs after regular school hours. With these programs, UACS is able to enhance the interpersonal skills, critical-thinking skills, and academic success of participating children. UACS also provides opportunities and services to community members through programs such as community gardens, Monthly Meals with a Mission, and adult education. With these programs, UACS is able to enhance the interpersonal skills, critical-thinking skills, and academic success of participating children. University-Assisted Community Schools began as a grant-based initiative serving Pond Gap Elementary School students and community members in 2010. Today, this service-learning program also extends its programs and services to Inskip Elementary School. Support the Full Service Community Schools Support Fund

The TPTE Graduate Student Support Fund is used to support the work of graduate students who are conducting innovative education research, presenting research papers at national and international conferences, and engaging in other activities of the department toward improvement of education and interpreting regionally, nationally and internationally. Very often these funds are supplemented with additional funds from the department, college, and graduate school. Support the TPTE Graduate Student Support Fund

The GrowSTEM Project is a partnership between the Center for Enhancing Education of Mathematics and Science (CEEMS),  the East Tennessee STEM Hub, Fentress County Schools and Union County Schools to develop and implement this project. To accomplish the overarching goal of workforce preparation, the project seeks to use a multi-faceted approach to recruit and prepare individuals from at-risk and distressed counties of East Tennessee to become STEM teachers in order to expand and prepare the TN STEM workforce. This project addresses two gateways to becoming a STEM teacher. First, the project supports internships for high school graduating seniors and/or community college students in addressing the requirements of an introductory course that is part of the VolsTeach STEM Teacher preparation program at UT. Second, the project supports college graduates through an online course that will provide a foundation for STEM teaching and successful completion of the content praxis examination requirement in secondary mathematics. Support the GrowSTEM Project Fund

The Reading Center Enrichment Fund is used to support the Literacy Lab / Reading Center in TPTE/CEHHS. The Literacy Lab / Reading Center is a professional community of UT literacy faculty and doctoral students who work collaboratively with preservice and in-service teachers and administrators in the East Tennessee region and conduct nationally recognized research in reading. It is a venue for professional development for teachers as well as a place where graduate students can participate in the practical experiences required for TN PreK–12 reading specialist license. Members of the community–adolescents and adults as well as children are tutored free of charge at The Reading Center by graduate students in the practicum courses under the supervision of faculty. The Reading Center library, partially supported by an endowment and technology grant, offers professional journals to teachers and parents, trade-books and instructional materials for tutors, and the latest technology to assist struggling readers. Support the Reading Center Enrichment Fund

The VolsTeach Leadership Council Executive Fund is used to support undergraduate scholarships or internships for students are who involved in the VolsTeach program and are pursuing a major in the College of Education. VolsTeach is a program that emphasizes early and on-going field based experiences while students are working to attain a bachelor degree in math or a science. This fund also supports outstanding faculty for teaching / research efforts; visiting faculty scholars who accept short-term teaching assignments; visiting lectures; and other purposes related to the mission, operation and function of the VolsTeach program. Support the VolsTeach Leadership Council Executive Fund

Disabled Graduate Student Scholarship

More information coming soon!

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Fund (Special Education)

This fund provides monetary support for students and/or faculty in special education and other areas of education to engage in opportunities (e.g., travel to professional conferences, expenses associated with research generation and/or dissemination) designed to promote professional development, scholarship, and/or excellence in teaching of students with disabilities.

Dr. Betty Bowman Textbook Endowment

Family and friends of Dr. Betty Bowman established this scholarship in 1985. She was a faculty member at the University of Tennessee and known widely as the author of textbooks for elementary teachers. Dr. Bowman was a tireless advocate for children, serving in many capacities within the Head Start program. A junior or senior majoring in elementary education that is admitted to the elementary education program in the college and has achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 is eligible for this award.

Jeanette Payne Davis Graduate Fellowship

This fellowship supports applicants who are currently enrolled at or admitted to attend the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Awards are made to Master’s students within the Teacher Licensure Program who demonstrate successful academic performance. Financial need may be considered. Preference shall be given to those who graduated from Alcoa High School, Alcoa, TN or Maryville High School, Maryville, TN. If there are no qualified applicants from the preferred high schools listed above then all other qualified applicants may be considered. Preference is given to those applicants who show interest in teaching English or History graduation.

Dr. Lillian L. Gore Scholarship

Dr. Gore, or “Miss Lillian” as she was fondly called, was a retired Knoxville teacher and principal. This 1929 graduate of the former College of Education was at one time the elementary schools supervisor for Knoxville City Schools. In 1973, Dr. Gore established an annuity trust fund with the university. Upon her death in 1985, the funds were used to create this endowment. Awards are made to academically talented students pursuing initial teaching licensure and a career of teaching elementary school children.

Tom and Judy Edenfield Hodge Scholarship Fund

Awards are made to academically talented students pursuing a master’s degree, with primary preference given to those seeking secondary math initial licensure and secondary preference to those seeking secondary science initial licensure .

Dorothy A. Hudson Endowment

This fund provides monetary support for students and/or faculty associated with the TPTE Teacher Preparation program. The funds can be used to provide direct support (e.g. stipends, travel) or for equipment or materials that support or enhance the academic mission of the Teacher Preparation program.

Dr. Ellen Hardwick Memorial Scholarship in Elementary Education

This scholarship is awarded to students who are enrolled within the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Each student receiving the scholarship shall be a graduate student within the Teacher Licensure program specializing in elementary education. High academic achievement shall be an important factor in determining the student(s) who receive(s) this scholarship.

Jack Henry Lorber Endowment in Special Education

Awards are provided to undergraduate students majoring in Special Education or graduate students seeking a Master’s Degree in Special Education.

JP & Gladys Maples Scholarship Endowment

Mr. and Mrs. Maples grew up in the same community in South Knox County and met in elementary school. Both were from large families with meager resources and quit high school to get jobs to help support their families. They married and had four children, all of whom have UT degrees and have spouses with UT degrees. This scholarship is awarded to students who are juniors or seniors in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education or the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program.

Alline Salmon McConkey, Jr. Library Endowment for the Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

This endowment supports the academic outreach mission of the Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature through providing graduate teaching assistantships;  awards to outstanding faculty for teaching/research efforts; visiting lecturers; visiting faculty scholars who accept short-term teaching assignments; and other purposes related to the mission, operation, and function of the  Center.

Charles & Sherry Morgan Fellowship

This scholarship is awarded to a faculty-recommended doctoral student that demonstrates successful academic performance and/or financial need. Must maintain a 3.5 overall GPA.

Courtney Neal Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to master’s student who are currently enrolled at or admitted to the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Applicants must be pursuing a Master’s Degree in the Teacher Licensure Program specializing in elementary education. Academic achievement and economic need shall be an important consideration in determining the student(s) who receive this scholarship.

Pi Beta Phi Children’s & Young Adult Literature Library Endowment

The TPTE Pi Beta Phi Children’s & Young Adult Literature Library Endowment is used to support the collection and activities of the Center for Children’s & Young Adult Literature.

Ralph F. Quarles Scholarship Endowment

This scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing a graduate degree in educational leadership who demonstrates successful academic performance and/or financial need.

Thomas A. and Darla R. Skelton University Assisted Community Schools Support Fund

The Thomas A. and Darla R. Skelton University Assisted Community Schools Support Fund provides monetary support for the University Assisted Community Schools (UACS) program. Through UACS, UT students, faculty, and staff provide school children academic support services, physical education, music, and art programs after regular school hours. With these programs, UACS is able to enhance the interpersonal skills, critical-thinking skills, and academic success of participating children. UACS also provides opportunities and services to community members through programs such as community gardens, Monthly Meals with a Mission, and adult education. With these programs, UACS is able to enhance the interpersonal skills, critical-thinking skills, and academic success of participating children. University-Assisted Community Schools began as a grant-based initiative serving Pond Gap Elementary School students and community members in 2010. Today, this service-learning program also extends its programs and services to Inskip Elementary School.

Brenda Hankins Stephenson Memorial Scholarship Endowment

This memorial scholarship endowment is in honor Brenda Stephenson, TPTE senior lecturer emerita (retired 2016) of Deaf Education who passed away in 2023.

Dr. & Mrs. J M Stockman/S S Arnhart Fund –

Science Education Laboratory

This fund shall be used for, but not limited to, renovations, improvements, and maintenance of the A. Paul Wishart Science Education Laboratory.

Mr. & Mrs. W H Swain Endowment

This fund can be used to enhance the education in both school systems in Scott County as well as the Scott County High Education Center.

Wanda Wheeler Johnston Memorial Scholars

More information coming soon!