Seminole State College has been awarded a $25,000 planning grant from the Teagle Foundation through its Cornerstone: Learning for Living initiative. The national program supports efforts to revitalize the liberal arts by integrating transformative texts and fostering shared learning experiences. The grant application process was spearheaded by Associate Professor of English Yasminda Choate.
The funding positions SSC to apply for a multi-year implementation grant of up to $250,000 in the coming year.
SSC’s proposed project will introduce a humanities-focused initiative aimed at strengthening students’ critical thinking, communication and interdisciplinary skills. The plan includes embedding transformative texts—works of literature, philosophy and humanistic inquiry—into core curriculum to cultivate a shared intellectual foundation among students.
The first phase of the initiative will integrate transformative texts into Freshman Composition II, a required course for all SSC graduates. Faculty from the Language Arts and Humanities and STEM divisions will work together to guide students through analytical readings and discussions.
A key component of the project is the creation of a new interdisciplinary course, Introduction to the Literature of Astronomy, which will be paired with SSC’s Astronomy class. This STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) pairing reflects the college’s commitment to blending scientific study with humanistic inquiry, offering students valuable skills for today’s workforce.
“This grant gives us the opportunity to reimagine how we teach and how students connect with big ideas,” Choate said. “By blending the humanities with STEM education, we’re preparing students not only for careers but for a lifetime of enjoying great literature.”
Grant funding will support faculty development, curriculum design and the promotion of new course offerings. The project is designed for scalability and long-term sustainability, with future plans to expand course pairings and include transformative texts across multiple disciplines.
For more information, contact Yasminda Choate at y.choate@sscok.edu or (405) 382-9289.