Department of Higher Education

Seven Missouri colleges and universities have been selected to receive grants of up to $150,000 to expand their nursing education programs. A total of $1 million was awarded by the Department of Higher Education and the Missouri Board of Nursing, which provided funding for the grants.

The goal of the grant program is to increase the number of nurses in Missouri, especially in areas where a shortage of health care professionals exists. The funds will be used to add faculty and create new programs that will allow more students to study nursing.

"The Missouri Board of Nursing is to be commended for providing the funds to make these nursing education grants possible," said Commissioner of Higher Education David Russell. "The latest round of grants will help prepare more well-trained nurses to meet Missouri's growing health care needs."

The 2013 grant recipients are:

• Avila University, Kansas City
• Maryville University, St. Louis
• St. Charles Community College
• Truman State University, Kirksville
• University of Missouri-Columbia
• University of Missouri-St. Louis
• William Jewell College, Liberty

Grant amounts range from about $118,000 to $150,000. The recipients were selected by the Missouri Board of Nursing and the Department of Higher Education through a competitive application process.

The funds can be used to:

• Add faculty positions in nursing education programs
• Recruit and retain highly qualified faculty for nursing education programs
• Develop accelerated graduate nursing programs
• Provide scholarships or training to develop faculty who will commit to teach in a Missouri school of nursing for at least three years
• Develop new clinical partnerships for training new nurses
• Expand the use of technology to support nursing education programs

The nursing education grant initiative is in the final year of a three-year program.

For more information about how each institution plans to use its grant, visit dhe.mo.gov/NursingGrantRecipients2013.php.