The Greater Texas Foundation (GTF) announced the newest class of Greater Texas Foundation Faculty Fellows (GTF Fellows), a three-year program to build research and teaching capacity of tenure-track faculty at Texas colleges working in areas related to student success. CUIN assistant professor Imani Goffney was chosen as one of the four fellows who will each receive up to $30,000 per year for three years to support a research agenda aligned with the foundation’s mission to support postsecondary preparation, access, persistence, and completion for Texas students.

“My work as a Greater Texas Foundation fellow would extend my current research on equitable and ambitious mathematics teaching with undergraduate students by also focusing on early career teachers” said Goffney.  “In doing so, I will also study the effectiveness of the University of Houston EC-6 teacher preparation program and examine the impact of our program, especially in the area of career readiness for teaching equitable and ambitious mathematics to elementary students in Texas schools.”

“Only one in five Texas students completes a college credential within six years of graduating from high school,” said Dr. Wynn Rosser, GTF President and CEO. “GTF Fellows is creating a network of highly talented and committed Texas researchers working to understand barriers for students and identify solutions to help more Texas students succeed at the postsecondary level.”

This fellowship will assist Goffney in not only improving the preparation of teachers but also positively impacting the outcomes of the diverse students in Texas. "We are excited as a college to have Dr. Goffney join this prestigious group," said Jonathan Schwartz, UH College of Education Dean of Graduate Studies. "Dr. Goffney's approach to equitable and ambitious mathematics teaching is innovative and vital to impacting learning outcomes."

After being nominated through an invitation-only nomination process, the selected fellows were invited to participate in a competitive proposal process in which they were required to demonstrate significant potential in and commitment to a career in research and teaching at the postsecondary level. In addition, applicants were required to identify a mentor to assist them throughout the three-year fellowship. Each of the selected fellows’ institutions committed to a partial match for the program.