The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission selected four new institutions to participate in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program.

The four new campuses are Campbell University, Buies Creek; Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City; Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory; and Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte.

Each of the four institutions submitted a proposal that outlined their strategies for creating and supporting a Teaching Fellows Program.

Jo Ann Norris, administrator of the Teaching Fellows Program, says, "In order to meet the increasing demand for top quality teachers for North Carolina's public schools, the Fellows Program was created by the General Assembly in 1986, upon the recommendation of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.

The Teaching Fellows Program has more than met the expectations of the legislation. There are over 3,500 Teaching Fellows graduates who are highly qualified teachers and leaders in the state's 100 school systems. Many are recognized as leaders in our state."

Each Teaching Fellow receives a $26,000 scholarship loan from the state, payable in $6,500 annual increments. The full loan is forgiven after the Fellow has completed four years of teaching in North Carolina public schools.

The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program continues to be the top teacher-recruiting program in the United States. The program will now have 13 public and five private institutions hosting a total of 500 Teaching Fellows in each class of the college career. The institutions are Appalachian State University, Campbell University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Elon University, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Meredith College, N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University, N.C. Central University, N.C. State University, Queens University of Charlotte, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Pembroke, UNC-Wilmington, and Western Carolina University.

Additional program information is available online via the Teaching Fellows Web site at www.teachingfellows.org.