TC鈥檚 Abby M. O鈥橬eill Teaching Fellowships provide $40,000 per student to prospective New York City teachers
RIPPLE EFFECT Abby M. O'Neill knew the difference even one great teacher can make. Her gift is doing the same.
A $10 million gift from the late Abby M. O鈥橬eill has enabled Teachers College to launch the Abby M. O鈥橬eill Teaching Fellowships 鈥� one of the nation鈥檚 largest, most prestigious and most competitive private teaching fellowship programs.
The Abby M. O鈥橬eill Fellowships are given to outstanding Teachers College students who are committed to teaching in New York City schools. Each Fellow receives $40,000 in tuition assistance. Currently 12 Fellows are enrolled in the program.
O鈥橬eill, a Teachers College Trustee Emerita and great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller who died this past spring, made her gift in 2013. The College then ran a pilot version of the Fellowships, and now is taking the program to scale as it receives the bulk of O鈥橬eill鈥檚 gift. The endowed program will operate in perpetuity.
O鈥橬eill鈥檚 goal was to make Teachers College affordable to New York City-bound teachers by relieving them of debt and giving them the financial freedom to focus on serving the city鈥檚 children.
鈥淭oo many teachers are strapped by debt from graduate school and the high cost of living in metropolitan New York City,鈥� said Teachers College President Susan Fuhrman. 鈥淎bby was determined to improve those conditions to keep the best teachers right here in our backyard.鈥�
鈥淭oo many teachers are strapped by debt from graduate school and the high cost of living in metropolitan New York City. Abby was determined to improve those conditions to keep the best teachers right here in our backyard.鈥�
鈥� Susan Fuhrman, President of Teachers College
To be eligible to receive an Abby M. O鈥橬eill Fellowship, students must intend to enroll in an elementary or secondary teacher education master鈥檚 degree program, leading to initial certification. Applicants must be committed to teaching in New York City鈥檚 public school system upon graduating. Incoming students who are eligible for the O鈥橬eill fellowships should contact the for information about applying.
Past O鈥橬eill Fellows from the pilot program say the Fellowship made a critical difference in their ability to attend Teachers College and have experiences that stand as turning points in their careers.
鈥淚 would have had to make sacrifices to attend 麻豆原创 because of my belief in teaching in public school,鈥� says Sarah Duer (M.A. 鈥�15). 鈥淏ut because of the Abby O鈥橬eill Fellowship, I came out with significantly less debt, which was wonderful.鈥�
Duer particularly appreciated the chance to work with Lisa Wright, Adjunct Associate Professor of Education and Director of Teachers College鈥檚 Hollingworth Center, who taught a class titled 鈥淣ature and Needs of Gifted Students.鈥�
鈥淚 remember she made me feel important, that my experiences mattered, and that I was a special part of the community,鈥� Duer says. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what every teacher wants his or her students to feel.鈥�
Sarah Duer (M.A. ’15)
Upon graduating, Duer joined a new public school in Astoria, Queens, the neighborhood where she lives. 鈥淭he opportunity to be a founding member of a brand-new school has been magical,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was creating a vision with a team of teachers who 鈥� just like the Abby O鈥橬eill Fellows 鈥� were willing to take on a daunting challenge.鈥�
Abby M. O鈥橬eill and was known for her leadership of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Rockefeller Financial Services and Rockefeller & Company. She helped rebuild education systems in former Eastern bloc countries after the fall of the Soviet Union.
鈥淭he Abby M. O鈥橬eill Teaching Fellowships Program reflects the best efforts of Abby O鈥橬eill and Teachers College to use our social, moral and pedagogical imagination to create better teaching and learning that鈥檚 more relevant to students lives and careers,鈥� said Thomas James, Provost and Dean.
鈥淲e want a Teachers College education to be affordable and accessible for all students, and for nothing to prevent 麻豆原创 from being the top choice for everyone we admit,鈥� said Suzanne M. Murphy, Vice President for Development & External Affairs. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Abby wanted, too, and thanks to her, we鈥檙e making it possible.鈥�
Supporting student scholarship is the highest priority of Teachers College鈥檚 historic Campaign, Where The Future Comes First. Over the past several years, the College has created 159 endowed scholarships and raised $90 million in scholarship support. The O鈥橬eill Fellowships program is the piece de resistance of that effort.
鈥淲hen you think of the ripple effect from even one great teacher 鈥� the number of lives touched, radiating outward through students and parents and future apprentice teachers mentored year after year in the classroom 鈥� you realize what a truly visionary gift Abby gave us, and how it will keep on giving for a long, long time to come,鈥� Murphy said.