Starting soon, they will have the option of becoming science teachers.
Unity College officials learned Wednesday that the college had completed the state's process of accreditation, allowing the college to begin training 7th to 12th grade science teachers for certification. For the first time, Unity College is fully accredited to produce science teachers.
The accreditation is for secondary sciences, which includes physics, chemistry and biology.
"It's not just the content they'll be able to teach," said Gerry Saunders, who will take over the college's new teacher certification program in July. "They'll be able to develop the whole person and people who make good decisions. In an average class, 12 percent will go onto careers in science, but 100 percent of them are going to be citizens. We want teachers to be developing those citizens."
The five-year accreditation follows a three-year process that included scrutiny and review by the state's Board of Education.
Maine's accreditation is recognized by 48 other states.
"It's part of Unity's increasing participation in the broader Maine community," said John Zavodny, academic chairman. "I see it very much as an outreach program, a way for Unity to translate its science-rich curriculum as something positive for the state of Maine."
An aging core of teachers and classrooms swelling with students has created a dearth of science and math teachers across the nation, Saunders said.
"Historically, when the economy is going really good, teachers don't get paid as well as other science fields, and all the way through the 1990s the economy was booming."
And Unity can help fill that void in a unique way, Zavodny said. The environmental college stresses community service and experiential learning. Unity's science teachers will enter the classroom with diverse experience, from nature studies to outdoor adventure.
"I think it will bring in more students who are of this mindset, who are committed to teaching and life service," Zavodny said. "We already attract a lot of students who have that mentality, so it was a natural fit."
Unity's science teachers also can help promote the college's mission of sustainability outside the campus, said interim Provost Mick Womersley.
"A lot of work has to be done to explain climate sciences to ordinary people," he said.
While many of Unity's students go directly into the workforce in their field of study, or continue their education, teaching provides students with another option, said Alisa Gray, who oversaw the program's start-up.
"It opens a whole new set of doors for students as far as job possibilities," she said. Unity has had provisional certification capabilities for three years and has already produced two scientists who were certified in secondary education.
But those students could only be certified after their transcripts had been reviewed by the state. With full accreditation the state will certify students based on successful completion of Unity's program, Gray said.
The secondary education program essentially involves a double major. There are 24 credits in education and another 12 in practical or student teaching.
Two of Unity's students will do the practical study next year and another 10 are active in the program. More than half the students are freshmen or sophomores, Saunders said.
"I think that's good," he said. "We'd always like more, but looking at the numbers, the pyramid's widening at the base."
With accreditation now secured, the college can advertise the program and give prospective students another reason to go to Unity.
"I can't see how it could do anything but strengthen us," Womersley said. "It's a great program for us."