Dean Frances C. Welch Scholarship

Full-time students as a rising junior majoring in Early Childhood Education and who have completed at least 30 hours at the CofC while maintaining a 3.2 GPA or higher and have financial need; eligible students will be graduates of a SC high school and recipients of the LIFE or Palmetto Fellows scholarships; at least one faculty recommendation is required for an applicant to be considered; renewable for one year.

B. A native of Dorchester County, Frances “Fran” C. Welch has devoted more than 35 years of her professional life to the education and development of teachers, health professionals and youth. As dean of the School of Education, she has overseen planning and construction of a building for the school; designed and initiated the Teacher Leader program; implemented the Call Me MiSTER program to encourage African American males to become teachers; formed the Center for Partnerships to Improve Education; initiated an Early Childhood Summit; and led several successful national reaccreditations. She has expanded international education opportunities by encouraging faculty to design programs and education students to participate, facilitating a bilateral agreement with National Kaohsiung Normal University (Taiwan) and launching an exchange program in Ecuador. Under Dr. Welch’s leadership, the school also offers new majors in foreign language education, and secondary education; M.Ed. degrees in languages and language education and in teaching, learning and advocacy; and M.A.T. degrees in the performing arts and multilingual learners.

Dr. Welch frequently presents at professional meetings, sharing her research and findings. The author of approximately 40 articles and two books, Dr. Welch is currently working on several manuscripts, focusing on school leadership and evaluation of teachers.

Service on campus and to the greater community is a significant part of Dr. Welch’s professional life. She is a member and past chair of the Committee on Opportunities in Science of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, member of the Engaging Creative Minds Board, vice chair for the Center for the Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA) board, and a past member of the Roper Hospital Board, the Life Management Board and the Charleston County School District Advisory Board. She is active in Alpha Delta Kappa, serving as past chair of the Credentials Committee and past membership chair for the Southeast region. Welch frequently authors grant proposals and received approximately $8.5 million in funding for the College from public and private organizations. She is certified in South Carolina in the following areas: elementary teacher and principal, superintendent, learning disabilities, mental disabilities and school psychologist.