University of North Carolina at Asheville

The only public liberal arts university in the state, UNCA provides students with a cross-curricular foundation in the arts and humanities in addition to a major in their chosen discipline. Teaching Fellows will earn a degree in their major field as well as licensure to teach. They enjoy cultural and multicultural experiences each January as they travel to school systems in such urban centers as New York, Washington, DC, Miami, New Orleans, and San Francisco. UNCA's popular Cambridge University Program, a summer Junior Enrichment Experience, provides Teaching Fellows with the opportunity to experience education in another culture while studying art, humanities and the educational system abroad. Students study for three weeks at Lucy Cavendish College in Cambridge and design and participate in additional European travel that fits their interests. Additional travel opportunities to locations such as Ghana, South Africa and Central America are being developed. These travel experiences support our educational philosophy that a diversity of opinions and people strengthens public education. Teaching Fellows Travel Scholarships allow all Teaching Fellows the opportunity to participate in our national and international travel. UNCA, situated in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, offers students many multicultural experiences as well, right at home in Asheville -- "land of the sky".

Each UNCA Teaching Fellow, starting with the freshman semester, works in a variety of public school settings: adopting classrooms, tutoring underprivileged children, working with youngsters from different heritages, serving as discussion leaders for high school students, and conducting classroom-based research through UNCA's nationally recognized Undergraduate Research Program.

By entering the Teaching Fellows program at UNCA, every student joins a community of teachers and learners that focuses on the personal, professional, and academic development of every member. Because the program and University are small by choice, Teaching Fellows quickly come to know each other and their faculty who believe that teaching is their most important task. Further, UNCA's size allows Fellows the opportunity to engage in projects and activities that enhance the quality of their college experience. We encourage students to actively participate in school and community service projects, campus organizations, travel, study and research and a variety of cultural and social events.

A liberal arts education, like the one offered at UNCA, enriches the lives of its students by fostering both a love for learning and an emphasis on critical thinking skills. This liberating and extensive education allows many Fellows to graduate with two or more areas of licensure and it enhances their teaching and graduate study options. Teaching Fellows at UNCA are invited to be members of the University Honors Program, which provides additional cultural and academic opportunities. Several Fellows have received major graduate fellowships, including the coveted Fulbright and James Madison Fellowships.

To learn more please visit UNC-Asheville's Teaching Fellows Web Sites at: http://www.unca.edu/tf.