Hawkins Scholars

Augustus F. Hawkins

The Department of Education awarded the first-ever awards for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program grants to support centers of excellence at institutions of higher education with a State-accredited teacher preparation program, like Sam Houston State University to help increase the number of well-prepared teachers, resulting in a broader teacher workforce, prepared to teach in our Nation's low-performing elementary and secondary schools and close achievements gaps. This Program focuses on the various aspects of the teacher preparation pipeline, including the recruitment, preparation, support, placement, and retention of teachers in high-need local education agencies to support underserved students.

SHSU is honored to receive an award of $1,599,900 that is 100% financed with Federal money through the Department of Education; no amount/percentage of this award is financed by non-governmental sources. The project is awarded and operated in a manner consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal civil rights laws.

Augustus F. Hawkins was the first black politician west of the Mississippi River to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Hawkins guided countless pieces of legislation aimed at improving the lives of minorities and the urban poor, tackled social issues such as unemployment and was committed to securing equal educational opportunities for impoverished Americans.

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