FELLOWSHIPS TO HELP OFFSET SHORTAGE OF LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF VISION EDUCATION

Written by Michael Castellon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Nov. 11, 2005
CONTACT: Michael Castellon, m.castellon@ttu.edu



LUBBOCK – The Virginia Murray Sowell Center for the Education and Research of Visual Impairment has been awarded funding for two graduate fellows by The National Center in Leadership for Visual Impairments. The award will allow two students, Derrick Smith, of Munford, Ala., and Sharon Summers, of Benton, Ill., to receive full tuition plus $20,000 each for four years.

The fellowships will help offset a potential crisis by institutions facing a critical shortage of qualified individuals with doctoral degrees who prepare teachers of children with blindness and deafblindess, as well as orientation and mobility specialists.

Nora Griffin-Shirley, director of the center, said the funding will help meet the needs of institutions suffering from a lack of qualified personnel.

“This innovative program will help meet this drastic need so university programs will not have to close due to a lack of people to fill the vacant positions,” she said.

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CONTACT: Nora Griffin-Shirley, director of The Virginia Murray Sowell Center for the Education and Research of Visually Impaired, (806) 742-1997 ext. 247, or
n.griffin-shirley@ttu.edu