Exelon donates $500,000 to Aurora math-science partnership

• Reprints

Frank M. Clark, Exelon Foundation board member and chairman and CEO of ComEd, announces a $500,000 gift from the foundation to the STEM Partnership School at Aurora University on Tuesday. | Submitted photo by Shaun Sartin

Updated: March 16, 2012 8:17AM

AURORA — The Exelon Foundation Tuesday became the first major corporate foundation to support the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Partnership School at Aurora University, with a $500,000 gift to help create a new national model for mathematics and science education.

A $150,000 matching award from the Aurora-based Dunham Fund, which also provided seed money for the school, brings total financial support for the project to $1 million. AU said the donations build momentum for the school as the university seeks funding for its construction, largely from corporations and foundations with a vested interest in the STEM fields.

The gift from the Exelon Foundation — a nonprofit organization funded by Chicago-based Exelon Corporation — is the largest single contribution to the STEM Partnership School. The school on the AU campus will prepare young students for 21st century jobs and train teachers to develop best practices that can be shared with other educators.

“We must challenge and encourage talented students who show interest in math, science and engineering, because these will be critical skills for the leaders of tomorrow,” said Frank M. Clark, Exelon Foundation board member and chairman and CEO of Exelon subsidiary ComEd.

The STEM Partnership School is the cornerstone of the Mathematics and Science Education Center of Aurora University, which was launched by the AU Institute for Collaboration to improve STEM education in the community and across the country.

When built, the STEM Partnership School will initially serve approximately 200 third- through eighth-grade students in the East Aurora, West Aurora, Indian Prairie and Oswego school districts who have demonstrated proficiency in mathematics and science. It will be staffed by district teachers who will simultaneously complete AU graduate coursework in STEM fields and eventually return to their home schools as leaders in mathematics and science education.

“We firmly believe that by helping to educate more local students to become valuable, high-tech employees, we will make a major contribution to this region’s business community and future economic development,” said West Aurora School Board President Neal Ormond.

“This academy will serve not only as a magnet for students in the four school districts, but also for parents who want to give the best possible education to their children and will choose to reside in the Aurora area and keep it a vibrant, thriving community.”

The Dunham Fund, which primarily gives grants for projects or programs focused on education and community development, previously supported the school with $100,000 in seed money through its Challenge for Change competition and a $250,000 grant. The new matching award brings the private foundation’s total investment to $500,000.

For more information on the STEM Partnership School, visit aurora.edu/stem.