SKyTeach Matching Gift Opportunity

There is a unique opportunity available to you this year if you have considered endowing a gift in perpetuity or establishing a scholarship in you name or in the name of someone you love.

The WKU Foundation, with matching funds available of up to $1 million from Exxon Mobil through the National Math and Science Initiative, offers a 1-1 match for new endowments established to benefit the SKyTeach Program at WKU.

The match will assist Ogden College of Science and Engineering and the College od Education and Behavioral Science at WKU in researching the endowment goal to help sustain the SKyTeach Program. Income from this endowment contributes support for key elements of the program that cannot be supported with the state funding or tuition dollars.

Endowments may be pledged over a 4-year period and the match should apply to any endowment gift or pledge benefitting the SKyTeach Program at WKU. Focal areas for gifts include (in current priority order):

1. Master Teacher Endowments including salary support, allowing these instructors more time to mentor and guide SKyTeach students. Such endowments allow Master Teachers to spend significant out-of-class contact time helping students with tasks such as lesson design and providing personal advice that builds trust and a strong support structure.
2. Funds for Excellence Endowments could fund a wide variety of opportunities such as scholarships, renovation of facilities, equipment for state-of-the-art instructional facilities, and faculty and student travel.
3. Internship and Community Engagement Endowments will allow future math and science teachers to have opportunities to work in educational related areas.
   Some examples could include:
   1. Tutoring the leading hands-on, minds-on activities with children at a community based program.
   2. Working with children through the Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science
   3. Managing distribution of inquiry-based math and science kits for loan to area schools.
   4. Coaching teams from the area schools for science competitions.
   5. Assisting faculty during inquiry-driven courses at WKU.
4. Mentor Teacher Endowments will be used to compensate public school teachers for time spent mentoring and providing detailed, personalized feedback for SKyTeach students who teach lessons in their classrooms.

This is a wonderful opportunity to utilize gifts you may be eligible to receive, as well as encourage fellow WKU alumni to maximize their gifts.

For additional information, please contact:

Another opportunity to support SKyTeach is through the SKyTeach Fund for Excellence via the WKU Foundation. Donations to this fund are tax deductible and are used for expenses not currently covered. The WKU foundation accepts checks or credit cards. Please note SKyTeach Fund for Excellence on your donation.
WKU Foundation