Call Me MiSTER

Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models

USC Upstate, in collaboration with Spartanburg County School Districts, and other nearby school districts, is helping lead the way in recruiting a broader, more diverse background of teachers, mentors, and role models for South Carolina schools through the Call Me MiSTER (CMM) program. This highly competitive program provides financial assistance in the form of scholarships towards tuition, fees and a stipend each semester. In return, MiSTERs are expected to teach in a South Carolina public school after they graduate. Call Me MiSTER will accept students who major in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Middle Level Education, Physical Education or Special Education.

Developed in 2000 at Clemson University, the mission of Call Me MiSTER—an acronym for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models—is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader and more diverse background, particularly among the Palmetto State’s lowest performing schools.  A highly acclaimed national recruitment and support program, CMM serves to prepare African-American male students to teach in early childhood, elementary, and middle school classrooms. According to federal data, black males account for only 2 percent of the teaching workforce nationwide.

MiSTER students have the option to attend USC Upstate for four years, or to first attend Spartanburg Community College before transferring to USC Upstate to complete their baccalaureate degree. After graduation, fully certified MiSTERs will enter early childhood, elementary, and middle school classrooms as teachers, role models and mentors dedicated to quality education, as well as building critical relationships with students.

Who Can Apply

Student participants are generally selected from among undeserved, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and educationally at-risk communities. Call me MiSTER will accept students who major in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Middle Level Education, Physical Education, or Special Education.

How Do I Apply?

The deadline to submit applications is November 21, 2024 for Spring 2025 and March 6, 2025 for Fall 2025.

Students interested in participating in the program should do the following: 

1. Apply for admission to and be accepted at USC Upstate. You can apply online.
2. Apply for financial aid by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA).
3. Apply for the CMM program found at the official Call Me MiSTER website.
4. Complete the Upstate Call Me MiSTER Program Application