New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives in Nursing Education

In June 2002, AACN introduced a section in our monthly email newsletter, AACN News Watch, to share information about new partnerships and grant-funded initiatives. This section is used to spotlight new collaborations and initiatives launched by nursing schools and corporate citizens that effectively increase student capacity, add new nursing faculty, increase student diversity, address the nursing shortage, and enhance the way education is delivered. Below are excerpts from past issues of AACN News Watch.

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October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

June 2008

• The Wayne State University College of Nursing has been awarded a $331,000 grant from Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm’s Michigan Nursing Corps initiative to fund the development of an accelerated, 15-month master’s degree program designed to help combat the critical shortage of nursing educators in the state. Under the provisions of the award, the College will fast-track a cohort of MSN students specializing in acute care, who upon graduation will be committed to teach in Michigan for at least five years. The grant is part of $1.5 million in the state budget designated for the Nursing Corps in fiscal year 2008. Gov. Granholm has recommended the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth include a $10 million line item for the program in the fiscal year 2009 budget, currently under consideration by the state legislature. See http://www.nursing.wayne.edu.

May 2008

• The School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center have partnered to establish a $2 million scholarship program for students enrolled in the school’s 16-month accelerated baccalaureate program. The program was developed to recruit, educate, and retain a front-line nursing workforce. With 230 nurses expected to complete the program over the next few years, graduates will work for at least three years at Washington Hospital Center, including on the geriatrics unit. See http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.nurses05may05,0,6944804.story.

• On May 6, Capital Health Plan (CHP) announced it will invest $1.5 million over the next five years in nursing education programs at Florida State University (FSU), Florida A&M University (FAMU), and Tallahassee Community College. The initiative is aimed at alleviating a growing nursing shortage in Florida. At FSU, the funding will create a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate nursing program for students who have a degree in another field and have completed prerequisite courses. At FAMU, CHP's investment will create the Capital Health Plan/Edwin Thorpe Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships for undergraduate, upper-division students who are graduates of high schools in Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla and Jefferson counties. The scholarship will pay up to full tuition for recipients for a maximum of four semesters. For more details, see http://www.chp.org/news/2008050601.php.

April 2008

• A new source of financial support is available for doctoral students at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing who are committed to teaching future generations of nurses in the New York City metropolitan area.  The funds, awarded through the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence Nursing Scholars Program, provide up to $280,000 in forgivable loans to support efforts to prepare and retain qualified nurse educators. "The nursing profession is in great need of faculty members to educate the nurses of the future," says Dr. Marie T. Nolan, director of the school’s PhD program.  "We need to attend to the nurse faculty shortage in order to address the shortage of nurses caring for patients in all health care settings across the lifespan.  The Jonas Nursing Scholars Program was designed to do just that." See http://www.son.jhmi.edu/newsevents/news/news.aspx?ID=613.

• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing has partnered with Hendrick Health System to establish a second-degree nursing program in Abilene. “This accelerated program is a wonderful opportunity for people who would like to become baccalaureate prepared nurses but do not have the time to go through traditional nursing program,” said Dr. Alexia Green, dean of the School of Nursing. “This is just another step TTUHSC has made toward helping to alleviate the nursing shortage in Texas.” See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son.

• The University of Texas at El Paso School of Nursing has been awarded $100,000 by St. David’s HealthCare of Austin, and the Las Palmas and Del Sol Medical Centers, partners in the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) Inc., to create a new program aimed at reducing nursing shortages. The grant will create an innovative 15-week program officially known as the HCA Central/West Texas-UTEP Bridge Program for Mexico Nurses to Increase Diversity. The program will give degreed and licensed Mexican nurses an opportunity to prepare to pass the Texas Nurses Certification and Licensing Exam, the national exam to become a registered nurse. See http://nursing.utep.edu.

March 2008

• On March 3, Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge released a report calling for the creation of a statewide Nursing Task Force to address challenges facing Iowa’s nurses, such as low wages and a lack of workers. The report made a number of recommendations, including expanding programs in the public and private sectors to provide forgivable loans and scholarships for nursing education at all levels; increasing the number of nursing faculty through innovative employment; strengthening recruitment efforts and increasing salaries; and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of education programs and improve their ability to provide easy articulation between programs. Read the report online at http://www.governor.iowa.gov/news/2008/03/03_1.php.

• New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN), has received an eight-year, $4.1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study newly licensed registered nurses in order to track changes in their careers. The new grant extends from 4 to 10 the number of years these nurses will be studied. "Following the same nurses for the first 10 years of their careers will provide an unprecedented opportunity to learn about how they make decisions about their work," said NYUCN's Dr. Christine Kovner, the study's principal investigator. "We deeply appreciate the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's continued unwavering support for the study of the important issues of RN retention and job satisfaction," said NYUCN Dean Terry Fulmer. "The findings will in turn help leaders in the field make informed decisions about where in the system we need to make greater investments in educating, hiring, and retaining excellent nurses, which is so critical to the health of our nation." See http://www.nyu.edu/nursing.

February 2008

• On February 7, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced the allocation of $3.4 million to the University of Maryland School of Nursing from the state’s Higher Education Investment Fund to help address the nursing shortage. “Nurses are the backbone of Maryland’s healthcare system and play an invaluable role in delivering the best patient care,” said Governor O’Malley. “To ensure that all Marylanders have access to the highest quality of care, an adequate supply of well-trained and committed nurses is absolutely critical.” See http://www.governor.maryland.gov/press.asp.

January 2008

• On January 31, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced the investment of $1.8 million to expand nurse education opportunities and increase the number of nurses in Pennsylvania. “By training more nurses – and by using state-of-the-art equipment for that training – Pennsylvania will have more graduates on the job who are qualified from day one to deliver the quality care our citizens need and deserve,” said Governor Rendell.  Several AACN member institutions received funding through this initiative, including DeSales University, Holy Family University, Messiah College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, and Villanova University. See http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=471236.

• The Simmons College Department of Nursing is pleased to announce the creation of The Legacy Fund for Faculty Nurse Scholars, which was established by a $1 million gift from an anonymous family of donors. This funding will be used to support a variety of departmental activities aimed at promoting faculty scholarship, recruitment, and retention. The Legacy Fund will help finance everything from course-release time (to pursue doctoral course work, dissertation research, tenure preparation, and more) to stipends for independent scholarship. Funds also will be available for professional development opportunities. Dr. Judy Beal, nursing department chair, was instrumental in engendering support for this generous gift and creating The Legacy Fund. See http://www.simmons.edu/academics/undergraduate/nursing.

November 2007

• On November 5, leaders from Maryland hospitals and nursing education announced a bold new strategy for solving the state’s nursing crisis by doubling the number of nurses now educated in Maryland. With Maryland facing a shortage of 10,000 RNs by 2016, the plan calls for an increase of 1,800 in the number of enrollees of first-year nursing students beginning in 2009 and continuing into the foreseeable future. This goal will require 360 additional faculty members; faculty salaries that reflect market conditions; additional funding for nursing education programs; and, additional classroom and clinical sites to accommodate expanded enrollments. The group placed a price tag on the plan in year one of $34 million, and $25 million in the following year. After an initial investment of public and private sector dollars, organizers expect that the expansion will begin to pay for itself. See http://www.mdhospitals.org.

• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board awarded more than $7 million to Texas nursing schools under the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing had the largest increase of graduates in the state in 2007 and received the largest sum of funds with $702,151. TTUHSC increased their number of graduates by 90 students from 360 in 2006 to 450 in 2007, making it the number two producer of degrees by a nursing school in the state, second only to Texas Woman’s University. “The evolving nursing shortage has significant implications for all of us – nurses, patients, health care providers, educators and the public,” said TTUHSC nursing dean Alexia Green. “Our School of Nursing is strategically addressing this critical need.” See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son.

• A collaborative effort between the University of Maryland School of Nursing and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has resulted in the development of a new regional scholarship to promote graduate nursing education.  An advanced degree will qualify graduates to become faculty members who can teach nursing students at all levels. Dubbed “Project RN,” the scholarship program will help students complete their degree within two years by providing them with financial support. For details, see http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2007/10-30.htm.

October 2007

• The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) awarded the University of North Dakota College of Nursing two grants to support new Master’s degree tracks specializing in Gerontology and Public/Community Health Nursing.  Enrollment for both degree options began in fall 2007 with options to earn an RN to MS degree, MS degree, or post-nursing master's certificate. “We at the College are thrilled with this news”, shares Dr. Chandice Covington, dean of nursing.  “Education in the areas of gerontology and public/community health is in high demand in North Dakota and the nation.  The faculty directing these programs are dedicated to success and seeing an impact on health in our region. We at the College applaud their hard work and commitment.” See http://www.nursing.und.edu.

• Funded by the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, the Vine Hill Community Clinic and its four satellite sites have achieved status as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) by the Department of Health and Human Services.  The clinic is the flagship of the University Community Health Services, a network of eight area health clinics, and the $650,000-a-year, three-year grant will go toward expanding services at Vine Hill and funding other health outreach efforts. “Achieving designation as a federally-qualified health center opens many doors for our nurse practitioner and nurse midwife faculty to provide more services to more patients,” said Dr. Colleen Conway-Welch, dean of the School of Nursing. Read more at http://www.nursing.vanderbilt.edu.

• Earlier this month, Northeastern University announced that Dr. Carol Glod, research director and professor of nursing, received a $625,000 HRSA traineeship grant to expand the university’s child psychiatric nursing program. Aiming to help eliminate the severe shortage of nurses for underserved populations, the three-year project will prepare advanced practice registered nurses in child and adolescent psychiatric nursing to provide culturally competent care to vulnerable children, adolescents and their families with acute and chronic mental illness. See http://www.northeastern.edu/bouve/nursing.

September 2007

• On September 12, the New Mexico Higher Education Department announced the awarding of $3.5 million to support nursing programs at the state’s public colleges and universities. A total of 17 New Mexico colleges and universities, including New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, received funding in amounts ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 to help address the state’s critical nursing shortage. In addition, the Department will disburse an additional $500,000 later this month to enable nursing schools to provide a supplemental compensation package for nursing faculty and staff.  See http://hed.state.nm.us.

• The San Diego State University's School of Nursing has received a $1 million “naming” gift from Sharp HealthCare to help support the school’s Human Patient Simulation Center. “Our state’s nursing shortage is well known, and our support of the Human Patient Simulation Center will help give nursing students the best education possible in the most efficient setting,” said Mike Murphy, President and CEO of Sharp HealthCare.  “This Center will enhance what already is an excellent nursing program at SDSU.” For more details, see http://nursing.sdsu.edu.

• The College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University was recently awarded $714,600 in state appropriations from the 80th Texas Legislature to enhance the capacity of the MS in nursing program to graduate more nurse educators. The goals of the special appropriations include revising the current 36 semester credit hours program into an entirely online degree that can be completed in one calendar year. Funds will also be used to provide stipends to cover the cost of tuition, fees, and educational expenses for up to 12 full-time enrolled students. Ultimately, TWU plans to graduate more nursing education majors who can then commit to teaching in a Texas college or university. For complete details, see http://www.twu.edu/nursing/programs/ms/ms_nurse_educator.htm.

August 2007

• The University of Maryland School of Nursing and the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) have initiated an innovative partnership to help address the nurse faculty shortage. The pilot program calls for up to eight ANC officers to be utilized as undergraduate nursing faculty, at no cost to the school, for a maximum of two academic years. The first six ANC nurse educators will begin teaching this fall. “Faculty shortages across the nation are limiting student capacity,” says Dr. Janet D. Allan, dean of the School of Nursing.  “This mutually beneficial program will help us tackle our faculty shortage, allow us to continue educating large numbers of undergraduate students, and help the Army enhance officer training.  It is a win-win situation for both parties.” See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2007/6-18.htm.

• A new partnership between the schools of nursing at University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) is focusing on ways to recruit and retain nurse educators, a critical step towards addressing the nursing shortage in Nevada. The surge in nursing school applications throughout the nation has sparked the demand for more doctorally-prepared nurse educators. To address this issue, UNLV School of Nursing Professor Lori Candela was awarded a $710,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop a program accelerating the progression of master’s-prepared nursing students at UNLV and UNR into the existing PhD program at UNLV. The three-year project calls for exposing existing master’s students to doctoral courses, streamlining curriculum, and actively recruiting the current nursing workforce to attract and retain eligible doctoral students. See http://nursing.unlv.edu/about_news.html.

• Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has received a pilot grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) to create and implement an innovative quality and safety curriculum. The QSEN program is aimed at fostering revolutionary changes in the education of nurses across the more than 700 U.S. collegiate schools of nursing. "This nation is facing a crisis in healthcare quality and safety," says Dr. Marla Salmon, dean and professor of the school of nursing. "The QSEN program is setting the stage for nurses to play even more central roles in providing safe and positive care experiences for patients and their families. We are honored to have been selected to be among the leading schools of nursing nationally in this important work." For more details, see http://www.nursing.emory.edu/nursing.

• Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) faculty are partnering with four hospitals from the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan area in efforts to address the state’s nursing shortage. With funding from Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission, the new partnerships are developing innovative programs and research that create both the leadership and an environment conducive to effective nursing practice. One partnership, implemented by Dr. Mary Terhaar in collaboration with the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), will provide complete tuition for four administrators and executives to participate in JHUSON’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice program and for ten nurse leaders to earn their Master of Nursing Science. The program uses an evidence-based practice model to help improve the orientation and preceptor programs at GBMC. For more details on this and other efforts, see http://www.son.jhmi.edu/newsevents/news/news.aspx?id=571.

• The PhD Program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing was recently awarded a $843,232 HRSA grant to enhance the capacity of the program to graduate more nurse scholars who can educate future generations of nurses. The project’s goals include expanding the number and diversity of PhD students, enhancing the capability of the program’s distance education activities, and formalizing a nursing educator component. The PhD program will also welcome the first distance education class this fall. Until this year, the program has been taught using a traditional classroom environment. By offering non-traditional classes that include Web-based and Web-enhanced methods, the program will increase the opportunity for students to pursue advanced nursing careers, which is an important step in addressing the nursing shortage. See http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/nursing.

• On August 8, the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) announced an ambitious program to offset the state’s nursing crisis by enhancing the organization’s Nursing Reward Programs. Through this initiative, RNs and LPNs may apply for zero percent interest on Stafford Loans over the first four years of repayment, with the added benefit of $1,000 per year of principal forgiveness during the same four year period. Similarly, through the Nurse Educator Program, borrowers receive zero percent interest on Stafford Loans for the first four years of repayment, as well as $5,000 per year of principal forgiveness over the same four years. To qualify, borrowers must agree to work in an educator/faculty position at any of the accredited nursing schools in Rhode Island. For more details, see http://www.RISLA.com.

• On July 25, the Kansas Board of Regents announced that it had awarded $600,000 to bolster nursing faculty and educational offerings at 17 public higher education institutions across the state that offer RN programs. Funding was provided as part of the state’s ten-year initiative to address the nursing shortage. Several AACN member schools were awarded funds to add new faculty or bolster faculty salaries, including Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Kansas Medical Center, Washburn University, and Wichita State University.  For more information, see http://www.kansasregents.org.

• The Wayne State University College of Nursing received a $336,467, three-year federal training grant to initiate a Workforce Diversity Program aimed at improving recruitment and retention of BSN students from minority or economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to providing scholarships, funding will be used to create a comprehensive support system for minority students, including a new Learning Community Retention Program.  For more details, see http://www.nursing.wayne.edu

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July 2007

• On July 25, Jim Kissler, CEO of Norco Inc., presented Boise State University with a $2 million gift on behalf of the Kissler Family Foundation to be used toward the construction of a new building that will house the Department of Nursing and the Student Health Wellness and Counseling Center. The Kissler Family Foundation gift was matched by $1 million gifts from both Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and St. Luke’s Health System. In addition, generous support was given by Allen and Billie Noble, Ed and Shirley Bews, and the estate of Jody DeMeyer. “This building is so critical to the nursing department,” said Dr. Pam Springer, chair of the Nursing Department. “It will allow us the space we need to increase admissions to the program by 30 percent.” See http://www.boisestate.edu.

• The Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing (FSMFN) has recently been awarded two grants from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enhance educational programs and provide student scholarships. With $685,000 in funding, FSMFN will expand its ADN-MSN bridge program which allows nurses with associate degrees to complete a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Expanding the school’s capacity to admit students through this option will allow FSMFN to educate an increased number of advanced practice nurses which are needed to serve across settings, including medically underserved and rural areas. For more information on this program and the scholarship funding, see http://www.midwives.org/home.html. 

• The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing has received a $932,000 HRSA grant to help reduce the shortage of public health nurses in Illinois. The grant will be used to recruit and train nurses in either a graduate degree in nursing through UIC's advanced community health nurse program or a joint master's degree in public health. "We need more and better prepared advanced public/community health nurses to care for our communities in such places as health departments, hospices, parish nurse programs, occupational health programs and schools," said the project’s principal investigator Dr. Kathleen Baldwin. For more details, see http://www.uic.edu.

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June 2007

• The North Texas Consortium of Schools of Nursing, in collaboration with area hospitals, developed 10 patient care teaching/learning modules to share with schools of nursing in Texas. These modules are based on high risk/high volume patient diagnoses likely to be encountered in nursing practice. The goal is to increase patient safety as well as the clinical competence and confidence of new nurses graduating from initial licensure programs in the state. All modules will be placed on the Texas Nurses Association’s website for local, state and national accessibility at a later time. The Consortium has been spearheaded by Dr. Elizabeth Poster, Dean of the School of Nursing at The University of Texas at Arlington and Dr. Paulette Burns, Dean of the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas Christian University. See http://www.uta.edu/nursing/news.

• University of Oklahoma College of Nursing professor, dean emeritus Dr. Patricia Forni, has been awarded a $3 million grant to prepare nurse educators to teach in Oklahoma. Funded by an anonymous donor, through the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, this is the largest single grant in the history of the College of Nursing.  The grant will be used to combat the shortage of nursing faculty in Oklahoma by requiring scholarship recipients to work in an Oklahoma nursing program for a minimum of two years after graduating. See http://www.nursing.ouhsc.edu

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May 2007

• On May 14, Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) announced a $1.3 million program to provide nursing scholarships for 30 students in exchange for a commitment to work at an HHC facility for four years. The program is designed to quickly move nursing graduates into the profession and serves as a model for addressing the national nursing shortage. Pace's nursing program is the city’s first to offer a residency program and include a service commitment to public hospitals. Scholarships worth $40,000 will be given to individuals who want to change careers, already have a bachelor’s degree, and wish to earn their undergraduate nursing degree in one year through Pace’s combined degree program. See http://appserv.pace.edu/execute/page.cfm?doc_id=558.

• The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System has given the UAB School of Nursing $1 million to start an intensive 24 to 36 month master's program for persons who have a bachelor's degree in any field. This second degree program is designed to introduce 45 new nurses annually into the workforce. "Graduates from intensive master’s nursing program such as these are a good nursing workforce match to the missions of institutions like UAB Hospital and its magnet status, as well as all of our clinical partners,” said Dean Doreen Harper. “These students are highly talented and eager to enter the clinical nursing pool and faculty positions.” See http://main.uab.edu/sites/nursing/108587.

• The University of West Florida (UWF) has announced an endowment gift of $600,000 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida to the UWF Foundation. The gift will provide support for launching a Master of Science in Nursing degree program at UWF with tracks in nursing education and nursing administration. With an anticipated match through the State of Florida’s Major Gifts Challenge program, the gift will create a $1.02 million endowment to support UWF’s nursing program. See http://uwf.edu/nursing.

• A $500,000 award from the University of Texas (UT) System will enable the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to create a multipurpose interdisciplinary research area crucial to the recruitment of research faculty. The funds for the research area come from the UT System’s Enrich Nursing Through Exceptional Recruitment (ENTER) program. “In a time of fiscal constraints and a faculty shortage, the ENTER grant is a godsend for the School of Nursing,” said Dean Pamela G. Watson. “We have been able to obtain financial support to provide research-related facilities and equipment to encourage talented, doctorally-prepared faculty to join us.” See http://www.son.utmb.edu.

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April 2007

• The new BSN-to-PhD in Nursing Track at The University of Texas at Arlington is now accepting students with BSN degrees for fall 2007 classes. “We originally planned to accept the next entering BSN-to-PhD class in 2008,” said Dr. Jennifer Gray, associate dean of the PhD program.  “However, the need for doctoral-prepared faculty to help alleviate the nursing shortage is so vital that we will admit a class this year.” For details including admission requirements, see http://www.uta.edu/nursing/PhD/program.php.

• The University of Mississippi School of Nursing has launched an accelerated degree program to address the shortage of nurses in the state’s health care workforce. This 15-month second degree program is made possible by a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). A major goal of this program is to increase enrollment of baccalaureate prepared RNs by 25 percent in three years with special focus on recruiting a more diverse student population. For more details, see http://son.umc.edu/news.htm

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March 2007

• On March 6, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University staged a patient safety training exercise for medical and nursing students, the first of its kind collaboration between the two universities. Approximately 460 medical and nursing students participated in this event along with more than 100 faculty and staff from both schools. Four different methods of instruction were used in this patient safety training to help the organizers evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each. This joint training was the first of four projects funded by a $1.65 million grant to UNC and Duke from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. See http://nursing.unc.edu/new/press_releases/release.html?pr=1172811600.

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February 2007

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) has established a $3.5 million endowment at the University of Florida to open the BCBSF Center for Health Care Access, Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes. The new center will be housed in the College of Nursing and the College of Public Health and Health Professions and will work to significantly improve the health of Florida’s citizens. “The University of Florida is grateful for the generosity of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and its dedication to improving Florida’s health care,” said UF President Bernie Machen. “With this new center, the state is positioned to become a national leader in health-care delivery, demonstrating that safe, high-quality care can be provided, and that health-care costs can be reduced by preventing medical errors and complications.” See http://news.ufl.edu/2007/01/26/bcbs-center.

• On February 15, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger awarded $3 million in grants to 16 different California nursing schools to help educate more nursing students in the state. “As we focus on reforming California’s broken health care system, we must ensure that we have the workforce to meet the growing demand for nurses. These grants will help expand enrollment in nursing programs and attract students from within the communities the nursing programs serve,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. See http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/5432.

• On February 6, Northern Illinois University School of Nursing received a $450,000 grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education to expand student enrollment, attract new faculty, and enhance the use of simulation technology. Funding will be used to hire one additional professor and two instructors, allowing the school to increase enrollment by 20%. In addition, the grant will allow the university to purchase three on-campus Human Patient Simulation Laboratories to ease the current shortage of educational sites. See http://www.niu.edu/PubAffairs/RELEASES/2007/feb/nursinggrant.shtml.

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Janurary 2007

• New York University's College of Nursing has announced the names of 20 Fellows who will participate in the second annual Leadership Institute for Black Nurses. The goal of the institute is to empower nurses who seek career advancement in education, research, and administration. "This program was established in keeping with a long tradition of commitment to black nursing leadership," says Dr. Terry Fulmer, dean of the College of Nursing. "Through education and mentorship, the institute serves as a resource to assist nurses who have shown great potential as health care leaders and seeks to expand the opportunities available to them." See http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/releases/detail/1386.

• In response to the nurse faculty shortage, Tennessee Governor Philip Bredesen and state health officials launched a campaign on January 22 to raise funds for a scholarship program that would help current RNs earn graduate degrees needed to teach nursing. The Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program - which the governor signed into law in 2006 - calls for $1.4 million in funding to pay for 100 RNs to return to school to complete graduate programs. After graduation, nurses receiving support would be expected to teach in an undergraduate nursing program in Tennessee for four years. See http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/Newsroom.do?id=1.

• With approval by the State Board of Education, Boise State University will begin offering a master's level nursing program in fall 2007. Students may earn either a master of nursing or master of science in nursing degree, with an emphasis in public health. The program is designed to advance the careers of nurses already in the field, and will also prepare more nurses for teaching positions at Idaho universities. In a show of collaboration and support, Boise State University has also signed an agreement with Idaho State University to better coordinate the delivery of graduate nursing programs to Idaho students. See http://nursing.boisestate.edu/news/index.shtml.

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December 2006

• The Joseph and Nancy Fail School of Nursing at William Carey University in Mississippi was awarded a $1 million grant from the Asbury Foundation of Hattiesburg to construct an addition onto the existing nursing building located on the Hattiesburg campus. "What an amazing trust," said Dr. Mary Stewart, dean of the school of nursing. "The Asbury Foundation continues to be a strong supporter of our School of Nursing; we have the deepest gratitude for their partnership." The addition will provide space to educate more nurses at a time when the nursing shortage is nearly a crisis. See http://www.wmcarey.edu/asp/viewpr.asp?item=338.

• The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) recently named the Jorge and Darlene Perez Nursing Laboratory at the Health and Life Science Building at FIU's University Park campus. The naming and dedication ceremony was held on November 14, 2006 to honor Related Group Chairman and CEO Jorge M. Perez and wife Darlene Boytell-Perez for their $250,000 gift to the College. The Perez donation, coupled with a 50 percent state match, will provide the College with a total of $375,000 to add to its nursing endowment. "This generous gift will help support the advancement of the nursing programs at FIU and keep the laboratory on the cutting edge of health education," said nursing dean Divina Grossman. See http://chua2.fiu.edu/Nursing.

• On November 15, Kaiser Permanente in Northern California announced its award of $6 million to support two baccalaureate nursing programs and a workforce diversity initiative lead by the Hispanic College Fund. Through this initiative, almost $5.5 million will be given to Samuel Merritt College over a four-year period to expand its accelerated BSN program to 96 new students per year. In addition, a $150,000 loan forgiveness program was created at San Jose State University for 10 BSN students, and the Hispanic College Fund was given $260,000 over three years to support 10 nursing students in Northern California. See http://www.kaisersantarosa.org/news/kaiser/nursinggrant.

• The Department of Health and Human Services awarded D'Youville College a $28,800 grant to help increase the number of qualified nursing faculty. The funds will be used to establish a special Nurse Faculty Loan Program. Upon completion of an advanced degree program, recipients may cancel up to 85 percent of the loan over a designated period while serving as a full-time faculty member at a school of nursing. "This funding is an important step to help in the shortage of qualified nursing faculty. Many students are unable to enter nursing because there are no faculty to teach the courses," said nursing department chair Verna R. Kieffer.

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November 2006

• Carrying out a goal set by Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich to stem the state's nursing shortage, officials from his administration opened the Illinois Center for Nursing in Springfield on November 2. The Center is responsible for assessing the current supply and demand for nurses in Illinois and developing a strategic plan to ensure that the state can educate, recruit and retain nurses. The center's advisory board will also work with state, regional and local businesses and governments to provide support for programs to expand opportunities for nurses in the state. See http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/PressReleasesSearch.cfm.
  
  
• On October 23, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell unveiled two workforce development initiatives that will increase the number of nurse educators and expand clinical education opportunities for the growing student nurse population. The $4 million "Loaned Faculty" initiative provides funding so health care employers and nursing education providers can loan qualified teachers to nursing schools experiencing faculty shortages. The "Clinical Education" expansion initiative provides $3 million in grants to help nursing schools and health care providers expand clinical education opportunities for the growing number of nursing students in the state. See http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=457355.

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October 2006

• The School of Nursing at The College of St. Scholastica (MN) received two federal grants totaling $1.5 million for two nursing education programs. The grants will support the development of a new DNP degree as well as a multifaceted initiative to increase workforce diversity. "We are delighted with the federal support that will enable us to initiate two important projects. We believe these efforts will significantly increase the positive impact of nurses and on health care," said School of Nursing Dean Dr. Martha T. Witrak. See http://www.css.edu/x1576.xml.
  
  
• The University of Maryland School of Nursing has received a five-year, $1 million grant from MedStar Health to support of the Governor's Wellmobile program. Managed by the School of Nursing, the Wellmobile travels throughout the state providing primary health care services to underserved and uninsured citizens. The program also provides a venue for students - at both the undergraduate and graduate level where clinical skills are honed - to gain experience in a community health setting. See http://nursing.umaryland.edu.
  
  
• Florida International University School of Nursing has partnered with Miami Dade College to operationalize a $1.2 million SUCCEED grant from the Florida Department of Education for the Expanded Nursing Capacity and Diversity Initiative (ENCDI). This initiative addresses the critical shortage of RNs and nursing faculty, the need for more nurses from minority backgrounds, and the need to innovative nursing education. Under ENCDI, both institutions will be able to increase nursing student enrollment, as well as implement innovative practices in nursing education through new technologies. See http://chua2.fiu.edu/Nursing.
  
  
• The University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing, in partnership with Bethune-Cookman College (BCC) has established an initiative to boost the number of doctorate-level minority nursing faculty. Launched earlier this semester, five nursing instructors from BCC, a historically black college and university (HBCU), have been enrolled in USF's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. To support the program, USF is using $450,838 of a $1.28 million SUCCEED Florida Career Education Grant awarded to the school last year for the state's first DNP program. See http://hsc.usf.edu/nocms/nursing/newsannounce/newsannounce.html.
  
  
• The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded a $1.3 million grant to the Arizona State University (ASU) College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation to fund a project to improve nurse retention and patient care. ASU's ultimate goal of the Nurses-to-Nurses project is to implement a working model for creating and sustaining a healthy and effective nursing work environment that can be adapted by health organizations across the United States. ASU will partner with Abrazo Health Care (AHC) of Arizona on the five-year initiative through 2011. See http://nursing.asu.edu.

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September 2006

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee (BCBST) Health Foundation has awarded Vanderbilt University a $2.48 million, four-year grant to study premature births in high-risk women. This is the largest grant ever made by BCBST, and it will make a significant collaborative project possible that may save babies' lives and millions of dollars in health care money for Tennesseans. The grant funds Tennessee Connections for Better Birth Outcomes, a research project led by Dr. Patricia Temple, professor of Pediatrics and medical director for Nurses for Newborns, and Dr. Melanie Lutenbacher, associate professor of Nursing and Pediatrics and director of the PhD in Nursing Science Program at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. See http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/nursing/media/release720.html.

• The University of Maryland School of Nursing has received the first year of funding, in the amount of $200,000, on a three-year program to develop a comprehensive higher education program for increasing awareness about the fight against breast cancer. "The Komen Maryland Affiliate Nursing Partnership: Advancing Education and Practice" - an innovative partnership with the Maryland Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - is the first of its kind in the nation linking the Komen Foundation with a nursing school. "This funding initiative is intended to model a unique and innovative way for the Komen Foundation to emphasize critically important roles that nurses play in the fight against breast cancer," says Robin Prothro, executive director of Komen's Maryland affiliate and an alumna of the School of Nursing. See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2006/8-28.htm

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July 2006

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June 2006

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May 2006

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March 2006

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February 2006

January 2006

• The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, the state agency charged with setting rates for Maryland Hospitals, in collaboration with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, has approved funding for a Nurse Support Program (NSP) in the amount $9.4 million a year over the next 10 years to support two initiatives to help alleviate Maryland’s critical shortage of nurse faculty and bedside nurses. Funding will be used to expand the pool of nurses in Maryland by increasing the capacity of nursing programs. The first statewide initiative will provide funding for graduate nursing faculty scholarships and living expenses, new nursing faculty fellowships, and state nursing scholarship and living expenses grants. The second program, the competitive institutional grants initiative, will expand the state’s nursing capacity through shared resources, increase the state’s nursing faculty, improve nursing student retention, and increase the pipeline for nurse faculty. See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2005/12-21.htm.
  
  
• On January 10, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) announced the donation of $600,000 each to the University of North Florida (UNF) and the University of Florida (UF) in an effort to address critical issues in nursing education. The State of Florida will match each gift at $420,000. UNF and UF were also awarded a $1.2 million SUCCEED grant from the state to increase the number of nurses who enter Florida's workforce. Dr. Robert I. Lufrano, chairman and CEO of BCBSF said “Through our Generation RN program, we are able to support nurse education plus address a critical workforce and health care need in Florida." Generation RN is a public/private partnership initiated by BCBSF to build an expanded, stable and culturally diverse nurse workforce in Florida. Combined with state matching dollars and other private support, BCBSF-endowed scholarships fund the education of more than 200 nursing students each year.
  
  
• On January 12, St. John Fisher College in New York announced that businessman Robert B. Wegman gave $8 million to the college to fund a new School of Nursing. The largest gift in Fisher’s history, the proposed school will be called the Wegmans School of Nursing. “I am very pleased that St. John Fisher College has chosen to use this gift for the creation of a School of Nursing,” explained Mr. Wegman, chairman of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. “I am concerned about the future of health care, particularly the cost, and believe that addressing the nursing shortage is an important goal.” See http://www.sjfc.edu.
  
  
• The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies will launch a fast-track program to prepare nursing instructors aided by a one-year, $1.28 million grant from the Florida Department of Education’s SUCCEED Florida Nursing Education Program. The six-month certificate program, which begins this month, will help Florida nursing schools to expand enrollment by increasing the number of clinicians who are qualified to teach. See http://www.miami.edu/nur.

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December 2005

• Florida International University and Miami Dade College have received a $1,282,500 grant titled “Expanded Nursing Capacity and Diversity Initiative” from the Florida Department of Education. The grant is part of the Succeed Florida RFP Program approved by the Florida Legislature this year. The grant is a collaborative effort between the schools to address the critical shortage of registered nurses and nursing faculty in the region. Through this project, 222 new students will be admitted into the programs while the schools work to recruit, develop and retain nursing faculty through the “Grow Our Own Nursing Faculty” project. See http://chua2.fiu.edu/Nursing.
  
  
• In an effort to increase the supply of doctorally-prepared nurses, the University of Kansas School of Nursing announced the creation of an online PhD program earlier this month. “There are many nurses who want to study at the doctoral level but have been unable to do so because of distance from the university,” said Dr. Rita Clifford, associate dean for student affairs. “Now they will be able to complete the program from their own localities.” The new online PhD program includes the type of content and requirements typically found in traditional classroom programs. Both the BSN to PHD and the MS to PHD programs will be offered online and in the classroom depending on the student’s needs and choices. See http://www2.kumc.edu/son.
  
  
• After a decade-long hiatus, the undergraduate nursing program at University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) will reopen in fall 2006. The UCLA School of Nursing had offered an undergraduate program since it opened in 1949, but the program was dropped in the mid-1990s due to budget cuts. The school currently offers master's and doctoral degree programs in nursing. In November, the school also announced that it is adding a master's degree program for second-degree seekers. These programs were funded by the University of California Board of Regents, which gave the nursing school an additional $5.2 million in the 2006-2007 academic year. See http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=35093.

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November 2005

• On November 15, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski announced a new program called Care for Oregon which provides student loan repayment to nursing school graduates once they enter the state's workforce. In partnership with the student loan company Sallie Mae, the Care for Oregon loan assistance program will repay up to 10 percent of federal Stafford loan balances for nurses who earn their degree at an Oregon institution and remain in the state to practice.
  
  
• The Kansas City Metropolitan Health Care Council recently launched the Nurse Expansion Project to increase the number of nursing educators in an effort to reduce nurse vacancy rates at local hospitals. With the goal of adding 40 full-time faculty members and expanding capacity by 200 students by fall 2006, local hospitals will allow their nurses to serve as adjunct faculty at area nursing schools.
  
  
• The University of Buffalo School of Nursing has received a $440,000 grant to study the reasons behind the critical shortage of nurses across the U.S through research funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The five-year national study will survey 5,000 recent graduates of registered nurse programs periodically over the first four years of their careers to track the underlying reasons for their work decisions. For more details, see http://www.buffalo.edu/news (click Nursing under the "By Topic Area" button.
  
  
• The University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing is planning to launch a new BSN to PhD program in fall 2006. "We are committed to addressing the critical need for nurse faculty and scientists by consolidating the time needed to complete the PhD in Nursing," said Dean Elizabeth C. Poster. "The BSN to PhD program will allow nursing professionals to have longer careers during which they can make significant contributions to research, education, administration, clinical practice and health policy leadership, nationally and internationally."

October 2005

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September 2005