University of Findlay Aims to Tackle Ohio Teacher Shortage

The University of Findlay will partner with other higher education institutions, state officials, and community leaders to host the Northwest Ohio Teacher Shortage Summit at Bowling Green State University on Friday, November 4, 2022.

The Northwest Ohio Teacher Shortage Summit is one of five regional summits across Ohio, with the aim of identifying collaborative solutions to address the continued shortage of teachers in the state. University officials will meet with both state and community leaders to discuss ways to attract and retain teachers in the northwest Ohio region. The hope is to also raise awareness of the implications of the shortage, including economic vitality and quality of life.

University of Findlay Dean of the College of Education, Julie McIntosh, Ed.D. recognizes the struggles Ohio schools are seeing and believes the summit is an opportunity to address the issue head-on. “We are very proud of our educators and want to see that every child has a well-qualified, licensed teacher in the classroom. We are seeing a shortage in some licensure areas such as intervention specialists, mathematics, and science and in pockets of geographic areas across the state. This summit provides an opportunity for stakeholders to come together to develop strategies to retain our current educators and encourage future educators to go into the profession,” said Dr. McIntosh.

To address the shortage of educational professionals, the University of Findlay offers scholarship money to students looking to pursue careers in education. The Addressing Educator Shortages grant offers scholarships to post-baccalaureate students to earn a teaching license if they have an undergraduate degree in a related area. The National Science Foundation Noyce grant supports students with a degree in mathematics or science to become a teacher at no cost.

Registration is required to attend the Northwest Ohio Teacher Shortage Summit on November 4^th. The event will be held in the BGSU Lenhart Grand Ballroom at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union at 9 a.m. Media members are invited to attend from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.