CCU’s Call Me MiSTER program forms partnership with Life2SC program to place more Black male teachers in South Carolina schools

April 17, 2024

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Coastal Carolina University's Call Me MiSTER program has partnered with Leveraging Innovation for Educator Excellence (Life2SC), a Midlands Community Development Corporation federal grant program, to help boost the University's efforts to place Black male teachers in South Carolina schools. Life2SC's Roderick Cummings recently presented CCU a $40,000 grant as part of the partnership.

Franklin J. Gause, site coordinator for CCU's Call Me MiSTER program, is thrilled about the partnership and the possibilities it will provide for students in the program. The grant will be used to recruit and train more Black male educators for high-need schools.

"This partnership with Life2SC paves the way for joint initiatives that will support our students' academic success, professional development, personal development, and program recruitment," said Gause. "Additionally, through our collaborative efforts, both Coastal Carolina University's Call Me MiSTER program and Life2SC can continue to fulfill our missions of recruiting, retaining, and training students to become educators who will address the teacher shortage in South Carolina."

The Call Me MiSTER program is designed to assist with the recruitment, training, and certification of elementary teachers from disadvantaged communities who are planning to teach in South Carolina schools, especially in the lowest-performing elementary schools. The program seeks to help build a more diverse group of educators by providing academic, social, and financial support to under-represented individuals interested in entering the teaching profession.