Wachovia Makes Donation to UNF for Education Scholarships

Contact: Joanna Norris, Assistant Director
Department of Media Relations and Events
(904) 620-2102


The Wachovia Foundation has generously donated $300,000 to the College of Education at the University of North Florida, establishing The Wachovia Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships for students majoring in teacher education.

Wachovia will contribute a total of $300,000 to UNF over a three-year period and the State of Florida will match the gift at 50 percent with $150,000. The gift will be used to implement a needs-based scholarship program for students considering education as a career. The scholarship program will provide financial assistance to first-time college undergraduate students as well as juniors and seniors with a declared education major.

The programs at UNF’s College of Education have won several awards, and the College is the only fully accredited teacher preparation program in Northeast Florida by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Although the quality of the teacher program at UNF is high, enrollment numbers need to be higher to meet the current and projected demand for highly-qualified teachers. Many students who are interested in teaching need financial aid or scholarship money to help them achieve their goal.

“The College of Education provides a strong and rigorous program for tomorrow’s educators, but many more teacher education candidates are needed to help fill Florida’s teacher shortage,” said Larry Daniel, dean of the College of Education at UNF. “A well-funded scholarship program, like the one made possible by Wachovia, will be targeted directly at students interested in education but who can’t afford it without financial assistance. This will help fill the gap.”

Florida’s public schools are faced with many challenges, with one of the most significant being the shortage of appropriately prepared teachers. Wachovia recognized this need on the First Coast and stepped up with a solution to establish an endowed scholarship fund. “The more genuine passion you feel about a problem, the more committed you are to helping find solutions,” said Kelly Madden, Wachovia’s regional president for North Florida. “At Wachovia, ensuring that all children have access to a quality education is a priority. We recognize, however, that students will not receive a quality education without quality teachers. We hope the Wachovia Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund will help UNF attract exceptional students who will one day become the excellent teachers our students must have in order to succeed.”

UNF’s teacher education students complete extensive educational programs, including comprehensive clinical experiences in local schools. All teacher education students must complete school-based internships within urban settings. The College of Education makes approximately 2,000 school-based placements per year, mostly within Duval County public schools.

Over the last five years, the College has averaged around 500 graduates a year from its undergraduate, master’s and doctoral program. More than 75 percent of its graduates either take new positions in local schools or are already employed in local schools and school districts. Over one-third of the teachers and more than half of the principals in Duval County are UNF graduates from the College of Education.


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