Kellogg Foundation Awards $16.7 Million to Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

Detroit, November 6, 2009 — Addressing the shortage of math and science teachers who will equip Mich.’s vulnerable students with the skills they need to compete in the workforce, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation with a $16.7 million grant to establish a new statewide teaching fellowship program.

The new W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship will provide 240 future teachers with an exemplary intensive master’s program in education and place those Fellows in hard-to-staff middle and high schools. Over the five-year timeline, almost 20,000 public school students in Mich. will receive high quality instruction in the critical subject areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm joined the Kellogg Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation at the announcement made today at the Detroit Science Center.

“This grant is an investment in Michigan’s future, in the future of our workforce, and in the future of our children,” said Governor Granholm. “We must develop a workforce that is prepared for the high-tech careers of tomorrow. The new math and science teachers who emerge from this fellowship will inspire our kids to be excited about careers in science, math and technology.”

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship will recruit a diverse mix of high-achieving candidates who show promise as future teachers. Fellows can be college seniors, recent graduates or career changers. The current market downturn in Mich. has forced many experienced engineers and professionals out of the workforce, making available a talented pool of workers who can share their knowledge and depth of experience with students.

As part of the Kellogg Foundation’s Education and Learning efforts, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship represents the focused commitment the Foundation is making to the state of Mich.