The Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education and the University of Nebraska Foundation are pleased to announce a new scholarship fund for teachers. The fund was created thanks to a gift from Ken Jones and Signe Kim Lauridsen-Jones, both proud University of Nebraska alumni.
The Kenneth E. Jones and Signe Kim Lauridsen-Jones Teachers Scholarship Fund, which was established in the summer of 2022, provides scholarships to teachers taking courses from the Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences and/or from the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Teachers of mathematics must be employed by Lincoln Northeast High School, Culler Middle School, Dawes Middle School, or Mickle Middle School. Scholarships cover the full cost of resident tuition and fees for up to 18 credit hours, which must be focused on teaching mathematics. The fund also provides a $500 stipend to each teacher at the end of each completed 3-credit-hour course.
“As a first-year teacher with student loans, who still wants to excel and take graduate classes, I was helped immensely by this donation,” said Whitney James, a math teacher at Lincoln Northeast. “I wouldn't have been able to take these courses to further my education without the support and encouragement from Ken Jones. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to continue my education and become the best math educator possible.”
The Foundation sat down with Ken Jones, who grew up in the Havelock area of Lincoln and is a graduate of Northeast High School, to ask him more about why he and Kim established this fund for teachers in Lincoln.
Q. From whom did you learn about philanthropy?
A. A good friend of mine shared how he was investing in his own high school. He grew up under the same circumstances. I used that thought to design this program for Northeast.
Q. What are your goals with this gift?
A. To get more high school students interested in engineering. I think their high school and middle school teachers are key. There is a major need for all types of technical talent, however many students are afraid of the mathematics involved. I have interviewed several high school teachers, and they talked about a program back in the 1980s that was successful. Ultimately, I want to help teachers learn how to teach mathematics at high school with more efficiency and effectiveness. And, in turn, give them a master’s degree.
Q. When did you start re-engaging with NEHS?
A. 20 years ago. I believe that engagement has sparked something, because at Northeast they now have an engineering club and great student enthusiasm for robotics. If we can garner interest and success at the high school and middle school level, that translates to more success in college.
Q. What else has kept you connected?
A. I learned a lot both during high school and then at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, both of which contributed to my successful career. Education is the key to most of our long-term problems in this country. Education elevates everyone to a higher standard of living, and that’s key to all of our success.
Q. Why are you making this investment?
A. Because I am driven to give back to the community that I grew up in and gave so much to me.