Stillman College (SC) and Shelton State Community College (SSCC) in Alabama have signed a partnership agreement to address a shortage of teachers in the state.
As part of the agreement, SSCC students with a 2.0 grade point average or higher will be allowed to transfer credits to SC’s School of Education. Both institutions state that the move will save students money as they continue their education.
“With us accepting 64 credit hours from transfers from Shelton, from a time-frame standpoint, that supports an expedited process to students for graduation,” SSCC Vice President Derrick Gilmore told Tuscaloosa News. “This reduces their financial liability associated with paying for education.”
The official recognizes that the state of Alabama has a teacher shortage, and the new partnership will allow the schools “to fast-track and support an increased number of teachers in the classroom immediately.”
Another goal of the partnership is to recruit more Black men to teaching. According to information released by SC, only seven percent of educators in the country are Black and only about two percent are Black males.
‘Supporting the Needs of the Community’
SSCC President Brad Newman said the objective of the agreement is not to benefit any of the institutions involved but to align their capacities with the needs of the community.
For Gilmore, the partnership will support overall social, economic, and civic engagement among the citizens of Alabama.
“Our purpose is to support the needs of the community as a whole, and being able to provide from a workforce development standpoint, a community engagement standpoint, and social and civil servants standpoint,” he remarked.
