ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore this week announced $2.8 million in grants from the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Nurse Support Program II to help address the state’s nursing shortage. Through the New Nursing Faculty Fellowship and Nurse Educator Doctoral Grants for Practice and Dissertation Research, funding will help support the need for more nurse educators who are critical to getting students out of the classroom and into Maryland’s healthcare system.

“By building out the pipeline to careers in nursing, we aren’t just strengthening public health, we are laying new pathways to prosperity,” said Governor Moore. “Education is a critical asset for connecting Marylanders with more opportunity—and this investment underscores that truth.”

The New Nursing Faculty Fellowship will support 49 newly nominated nurse faculty and 147 previously awarded nurse faculty in recruiting and retaining additional nursing faculty. The Maryland Higher Education Commission awarded $2,450,000 among ten universities and eight community colleges in Maryland including:

• Allegany College of Maryland
• Anne Arundel Community College
• Bowie State University
• Community College of Baltimore County
• Coppin State University
• Frederick Community College
• Frostburg State University
• Harford Community College
• Johns Hopkins University
• Montgomery College
• Morgan State University
• Notre Dame of Maryland University
• Prince George’s Community College
• Salisbury University
• Stevenson University
• University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Washington Adventist University
• Wor-Wic Community College

In addition, eight nursing faculty members received Nurse Educator Doctoral Grants for Practice and Dissertation Research within five nursing programs across Maryland. Recipients were granted awards between $17,000 and $60,000—totaling more than $369,000—to expedite the completion of their terminal degree and reduce existing student loan debt:

• Bowie State University – 3 awards
• Harford Community College – 1 award
• Montgomery College – 2 awards
• Notre Dame of Maryland University – 1 award
• Prince George’s Community College – 1 award

“These grants are another example of how the Maryland Higher Education Commission is investing in Maryland’s future,” said Maryland Higher Education Commission Acting Secretary Dr. Sanjay Rai. “We are working every day to meet the need for highly trained and highly educated nurses to become the faculty of the future.”

Since 2005, the Nurse Support Program II has awarded more than $218 million and has increased Registered Nursing enrollment by nearly 7,000 students. Governor Moore previously announced $5.8 million in Maryland Higher Education Commission grant awards to help address the state’s nursing shortage.

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