Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
What is NOYCE?
The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program is an NSF funded project (Building a Pathway for Recruiting and Preparing STEM Teachers in Rural West Central Illinois) that provides funding to institutions of higher education to fund scholarships, stipends, and programmatic support to recruit and prepare STEM majors and professionals to become K-12 teachers. The program seeks to increase the number of K-12 teachers with strong STEM content knowledge who teach in high-need school districts. The NOYCE program at Western Illinois University has a secondary education focus.
As part of the NOYCE grant at WIU, Juniors and Seniors majoring in STEM fields and seeking a teaching license can earn significant scholarships at WIU. NOYCE scholars can earn up to $8000 or more per semester for up to 5 semesters while finishing their degree and secondary licensing program. For each semester aid is awarded, the NOYCE scholar commits to 1 year of teaching in a high needs district. Scholarships cover tuition, fees, room and board, and books as well as other college-related costs and Scholars could receive over $40,000 in scholarships by graduation. The grant also provides funds for NOYCE Scholars to attend professional conferences and events each year at the local, regional, and national levels. Beginning in 2023 and through 2028, this opportunity has been made possible through a $1.4 million National Science Foundation (NSF) NOYCE STEM Teacher Scholarship Track I grant that has been received in partnership with these entities as well as five local high-needs school districts. Current members of the grant team include: Dr. Robert Mann (PI & Director), Dr. Susan Brooks (Coordinator & CO-PI), Mr. Jacob Winters, M.S. (CO-PI), Dr. Jose Pavez (CO-PI), Dr. Kishor Kapale (Senior Personnel) & Dr. Sebastian Szyjka (CO-PI & Webmaster). Click on one of the boxes above or below to learn more about the NOYCE project at Western Illinois University.
Applications for the fall of 2025 scholarships are now open and are due by August 5, 2025. For more information please contact NOYCE@wiu.edu.
Noyce Scholarship Students at Western Illinois must meet the following criteria for scholarship funding:
- Must be classified as an undergraduate student at the junior or senior level and be a US citizen
- Must be enrolled in a STEM discipline and secondary teaching license area
- Must have a 2.75 grade point average or higher throughout their time as a Noyce Scholar
- Must agree to work for a minimum of 2 years in a high-needs school district for each year that the scholarship is accepted
Students in the NOYCE program participate in a wide variety of activities to prepare them to be effective educators, including a seminar on teaching in high-needs districts, STEM teaching workshops, summer research experiences, in-depth mentoring and advising, and test preparation for content exams. Additionally, interested students can participate in the new Learning Assistant program at Black Hawk College, use agreements to facilitate transfers, and receive support from an advisor. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients may also benefit from small grants for equipment, mentoring, conferences, development opportunities and other relevant expenses.
The project leadership will work closely with the WIU Office of Justice Inclusion Diversity and Equity (JIDE) to develop and implement a strategy for the pool of applicants.
What is a high needs school district?
High-needs district includes rural schools that have a high need for STEM teachers as well as districts with high poverty status. The term "a high-need local educational agency" as defined in section 201 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021) means a local educational agency (school district) that serves an elementary or secondary school located in an area that is characterized by at least one of the following:
- a high percentage (≥20%) of individuals from families with incomes below the poverty line;
- a high percentage (≥35%) of secondary school teachers not teaching in the content area in which they were trained to teach; or
- a high teacher turnover rate (≥15%/yr)
- has a high teacher turnover rate or a high percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary certification of licensure
- a demonstrated need for STEM teachers
Current NOYCE Scholars
| NAME | MAJOR | HOMETOWN | START DATE | GRADUATION DATE |
| Megan Ward | Biology | Lewiston, Illinois | August 2023 | December 2023 |
| Matthew Simpson | Mathematics | Monee, Illinois | August 2023 | |
| Olivia Luzzadder | Biology | Flora, Illinois | August 2023 | December 2024 |
| Paige Dykstra | Chemistry | Fulton, Illinois | January 2024 | |
| Cheyenne Duchay | Mathematics | Rock Falls, Illinois | January 2024 | |
| Marie Nelson | Mathematics | Bolingbrook, Illinois | August 2024 | |
| Andrew Hauser | Biology | Aurora, Illinois | August 2024 | |
| Jillian Niedziela | Biology | Cary, Illinois | January 2025 | |
| Arnie Grunert | Physics | Frankfort, Illinois | January 2025 |
The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, authorized under the National Science Foundation responds to the critical need for K-12 teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by encouraging talented STEM students and professionals to pursue teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools. This material is based upon the work through the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2243323
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