Chancellor Zimpher Recognizes Master Teachers At Program’s First Statewide Conference
August 15, 2014
Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today hosted a recognition ceremony for the more than 300 teachers that have been selected for the New York State Master Teacher Program since it was first introduced by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last year. The ceremony was held at the program’s first statewide professional development conference in Albany.
“In the first year of the program, the 319 master teachers selected to participate will have collectively completed more than 15,000 hours of professional development that goes above and beyond state and school district requirements, and honed their expertise in critical STEM fields such as calculus, physics, engineering design, and genetics,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “The ongoing work of our master teachers in every region is improving teaching and learning across New York’s education pipeline, and I am proud to honor them today.”
As part of today’s conference, which we be held annually, teachers across the state came together to design and lead workshops for their colleagues that highlight their own best practices. Topics included engineering paper rockets, inquiry-based learning in science classrooms, female students in STEM, and flipped classrooms, among others.
The Master Teacher Program was launched by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last year in partnership with SUNY and Math for America. The program brings together the state’s highest-performing STEM teachers to share their expertise with peers and attract more students to STEM careers. Through participation in the program, selected teachers have access to enhanced professional development and content mastery opportunities, become part of a community of dynamic teachers building and sharing best practices, and receive a $15,000 stipend each year for four years.
As part of the program, SUNY campuses across the state provide teachers with the opportunity to interact with and learn from SUNY’s world-class faculty through STEM mini-courses and other professional learning opportunities.
This year’s conference theme was “Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Leaders.” Dr. F. (Shadi) Shahedipour-Sandvik, associate professor of Nanoengineering at the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, delivered a keynote address.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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