CCSU leadership welcomed the first cohort of Project Blue Devil Direct students at a reception at Alumni Hall on Dec. 5. The project is a collaboration between the School of Education and Professional Studies and the West Hartford Public Schools that will give high school students who are interested in becoming teachers access to Central’s teacher education program.

Project Blue Devil Direct participants will begin their teaching educations through dual-enrollment coursework created by the School of Education.

This project has been designed to address persistent teacher shortages in critical academic areas, including the STEM fields, world languages, and special education. The project also prioritizes the recruitment of students from historically underrepresented groups.

In her greeting at the reception, President Toro noted, “Partnerships like this one promise an exciting future for CCSU and its students. To ensure such a bright future, we must continue to collaborate with our colleagues in higher education in pursuit of our students’ best interests.”