By AMEARA DITSCHE
Editor-in-Chief
The College of Saint Rose announced that it will provide free housing to any new student majoring in education beginning in Fall 2023, thanks to an undisclosed amount of funding provided by an anonymous donor.
The Build the Teacher Pipeline Initiative is a four-pronged plan that will begin in Fall 2023 to combat the teacher shortage in New York that includes free housing for new undergraduate education students, graduate education funding, flexible courses for graduate education programs, and professional development for current teachers, the college announced on Oct. 27.
The free housing component of the initiative is estimated to save students more than $28,000 over four years of undergraduate studies.
Graduate education programs will offer up to $7,500 in aid to students making a career change. Such programs will become more accessible to working adults, with more programs being moved to Flex delivery, a course delivery format that allows students to choose in-person classes, online classes, or some combination of both. Currently, Saint Rose offers the only fully online master’s in educational psychology in New York.
There will also be professional development for current teachers in order to tackle teacher burnout. A survey of nearly 700 educators was conducted and the findings are being used to develop better professional development techniques.
Saint Rose grants the highest number of education degrees in New York State, with approximately 28,000 alumni working as teachers out of a total of over 212,000 public school teachers across the state.
President Marcia White said that 180,000 teachers will be needed over the next 10 years. “We can not meet the need,” she said at the press conference. She said that 53% of public schools were understaffed at the beginning of this school year, and that 69% of schools reported that their biggest problem was too few candidates in the applicant pool.
In light of the shortage, special education programs are struggling. There is also a critical shortage of substitute teachers. The college also met with superintendents from several different school districts in New York to discuss how to recruit students into education programs.
Saint Rose education professors have noted the big changes in the education job market, especially the plethora of job opportunities for graduates. “I’ve had the pleasure of telling students, ‘Hey, I’ve gotten a call and you might be a perfect candidate’,” said Christina Pfister, a professor of education at Saint Rose and co-chair of the teacher education board.
“In the past it was much harder for them to get teacher positions,”she said.
Current students also showed interest in the new program. “I wanted to learn more about the teacher shortage, and also how our governor and everyone is going to help us,” said Angelica Esposito, a senior majoring in early childhood and childhood education.
She expressed gratitude for the initiative. “Showing they have so much love and respect for teachers is huge,” said Esposito.
“I’m very excited to be the teacher I didn’t have when I was younger,” Esposito said. “I struggled a little bit in school so I just want to be that teacher who is supportive and loving.”
President White said that a major advertising initiative will take place across the state in order to attract prospective students.
