August 21, 2006

Slack wins $1,000 teaching scholarship

by K.C. Jaehnig

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Melissa D. Slack of Arcola (736 Dogwood Drive.), a junior at Southern Illinois University Carbondale majoring in education, has won a $1,000 scholarship through a program aimed at producing math and science teachers.

Co-sponsored by SIUC’s College of Education and Human Services and its College of Science with funding from the Boeing Foundation, the Teaching Excellence in Mathematics and Science initiative each year presents scholarships to as many as 20 aspiring teachers with grade-point averages of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

“These students represent some of the best and brightest students at SIUC and represent a positive future for our schools,” said project director Trudi L. Volk.

Slack, the daughter of Chris D. and Cindy L. Slack, plans to teach elementary school science.

Strengthening the undergraduate scholarship program is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.