A lifelong legacy of service in education, Della Rosenberg (M.Ed. ‘50) pledged a $500,000 estate over five years to support the success of four ProTeach students each year. Through the Della Rosenberg ProTeach Scholarship, her legacy will continue on championing brighter futures for the next generation of educators.

Less than 40 percent of Florida children are able to read proficiently by the fourth grade – a benchmark year in predicting a child’s success. Florida is facing a literacy crisis, but through a generous $3 million donation from the world’s best selling author, James Patterson, the University of Florida is tackling the crisis head on through the James Patterson Literacy Challenge.

The University of Florida’s Literacy Initiative is pioneering identification and intervention for struggling readers, and is renowned for its expansive research and program development. Recently, faculty have developed an online certificate that has gained interest from psychology and speech pathology professionals, as well as parents hoping to help their children succeed in the classroom.

Our work in the area of Student Success is done with the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve. Like so many of our programs, the impacts of this initiative are felt far beyond the classroom. We are implementing varied strategies to actively remove barriers and build bridges for the success of every learner. In areas of literacy, special education, counseling, social justice and beyond, we are lighting the way toward a more inclusive and brighter future.