Graduate Education

Saint Francis University presents the Dr. John Powers Outstanding Educator Award to a deserving elementary or secondary teacher or administrator each spring. This year, the university presented the award to four outstanding educators during the Saint Francis University President's Awards Convocation on May 4, 2023.

While the teaching crisis impacts all locales, rural schools are having issues finding teachers for specific classes and grade spans, especially the disciplines of math and science. Saint Francis University's Graduate Education Department is committed to improving teacher quality by offering research-based solutions that may serve as viable solutions to the teacher shortage.

The 1889 Foundation recently awarded $25,000 to Saint Francis University in support of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The program makes books available to children in Cambria County from birth to age five and is entirely free for families regardless of income.

In the year since the program started in Cambria County, the university has placed 12,640 books into the hands of 1,686 children.