Slippery Rock University has received $2 million that will fund scholarships and programs supporting underrepresented minority students pursuing careers as teachers.

According to the university, Dave and Judy Phillips donated $75,000 to establish an endowed scholarship and $25,000 to fund RockTEACH, a program promoting teacher education for Black and Indigenous students, and students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The couple also committed a $2 million estate gift to ensure long-term support for RockTEACH.

The couple, who have lived in Texas for 50 years, met as teenagers in Sharpsburg. Judy Phillips is a 1966 SRU graduate with a degree in education and is a former teacher.

“Minority teachers are underrepresented in the education system,” Dave Phillips said. “We think it’s necessary to help recruit and support aspiring minority teachers who might not have the means to pursue their education and become a teacher. If a child is in a class and sees a teacher who looks like them, they are more likely to aspire to be like that teacher.”