Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

            Shawnee State University along with the University of Rio Grande and Ohio University Southern will be hosting The Southern Ohio Youth Regents Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Foreign Language Academy from Sunday, June 13 until Friday, July 2.

            Applicants will be admitted based on a number of criteria including grade level, GPA, teacher recommendation, essay and other information provided through the application.

            Students who enroll in the program earn free college credits while still in high school. Tuition is free and students will have the opportunity to receive a dual high school and college credit where applicable.

            “There are many opportunities out there for students who decide to go into STEM education because there is a shortage of teachers,” said Judy Meeker, project director, Southern Ohio Youth Regents STEM and Foreign Language Academy. “We try to expose them to opportunities in some of the STEM career fields.”

            The academy is for high school juniors and seniors. A total of thirty students will be selected to enroll in this program. Applicants must be an Ohio resident and entering the eleventh or twelfth grade in the 2010-2011 school year. Students must have a minimum of a 2.5 or higher GPA. The STEM and Foreign Language Academy is not a gifted program but students who are considered for the program must have high potential and take their education seriously.

            The 2010 STEM Academy is funded in part by the Ohio Board of Regents and each partner university. Because of the decrease in funding, the 2010 STEM Academy will have a program fee of $150 to assist with the cost of room and board during each of the three weeks living on campus.

            The STEM and Foreign Language Academy college courses include general chemistry, principles of statistics, and elementary Spanish.

            Financial aid is available to students whose family is experiencing financial difficulty. Students can receive this aid by submitting a financial aid fee waiver form and submitting it with the other application materials.

            After completing the three-week residential experience, students will continue their college coursework online using carious Web-based technology. This part of the program will take place from Friday July 2 through Thursday July 29. All STEM and Foreign Language Academy students must have access to a computer with high-speed internet connectivity during this phase of the academy. On Friday July 30 students will return to campus to complete their final exams.

            The deadline for applications is May 24. Students will receive a notification of admittance by May 31. For more information, contact Judy Meeker at (740) 351-3411 or visit http://www.shawnee.edu/off/uos/STEM/stem.html.