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SALISBURY, MD---With the increasing importance of education, but with teacher shortages continuing in the 21st century, education majors are becoming more important than ever.

In 1989, E. Niel and Helen Simmons Carey recognized that importance by creating an endowment which provides an annual $1,000 scholarship: the Carey-Simmons Scholarship for undergraduates pursuing careers in public education.

An SU alumnus, Class of ‘56, Carey’s lifelong career in education included teaching and counseling in the Baltimore County Public School System and holding senior positions with the Maryland State Department of Education. “I’ve always felt a tremendous amount of gratitude for my teachers at Pittsville School and for the faculty and staff at SU who provided me with a strong foundation for my career in the education profession,” Carey said.

Helen Simmons Carey, a Duke University alumna and a retired Baltimore County educator, is enthusiastic about the scholarships’ potential for strengthening public education.

Following the success of the initial Carey-Simmons Scholarship, the Careys endowed a second scholarship, offering $500 annually to public school teachers in Wicomico County who wish to pursue master’s degrees at SU.  They recently made an additional $50,000 commitment to the scholarship endowment which will, within the next five years provide two undergraduate scholarships of $1,000 and a graduate grant of $1,000 annually.

Since his graduation, he has supported the University in other ways, as well, serving as president of the Alumni Association and as a member of the SU Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors, and chairing the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture Board of Directors.

The undergraduate scholarships are offered to junior and senior education majors from eastern Wicomico County and southern Sussex counties, i.e., the Pittsville, Parsonsburg, Willards and Powellville communities in Maryland, and the Gumboro and Millsboro, DE, areas.  Students are judged on merit, achievement and potential.  The graduate scholarship is for teachers who teach in those areas.

Scholarships like those endowed by the Careys provide an incentive for students to consider the education profession, and the graduate grants encourage further professional development.

Today, scholarships are the largest initiative of SU’s Campaign 2012, comprising half of the fund drive’s $30 million goal. Niel Carey is also co-chairing another important campaign initiative, support for the new Teacher Education and Technology Center.

For information on the Carey-Simmons scholarships, contact the Financial Aid Office at 410-543-6165.
For more information on the SU Capital Campaign, contact Kim Nechay, SU director of development and assistant director of the SU Foundation, Inc., at 410-543-6175 or visit the campaign Web site at www.salisbury.edu/campaign.