By Bob Bong
The Illinois Board of Higher Education has awarded nursing school grants to 12 institutions of higher education across the state, including two in the south suburbs, totaling $1.4 million.
Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills received a grant of $38,316 to focus on improved math proficiency and preparedness of students to increase NCLEX pass rates through hire of math tutors and additional prep materials and review course acquirement.
Trinity Christian College of Nursing in Palos Heights received a grant of $150,000 for staff hiring to implement and facilitate Distance Education online educational format with remote clinical placement, virtual labs and simulations, clinical practicum arranged locally, and a focus on expanding recruitment.
The 2024 grants awarded to higher education institutions will help increase the number of registered professional nurses with high-quality postsecondary credentials to meet the demands of the workforce. The amount of grant funds awarded nearly doubled compared to the previous year thanks to an increase in funds in Governor J.B. Pritzker’s fiscal year 2024 budget supported by the General Assembly.
“These funds will help nursing programs prepare students for a successful career and meet the demands of the healthcare industry at a time when the health professional shortage and the critical work nurses perform have become more evident than ever,” said IBHE Executive Director Ginger Ostro. “We are pleased to partner with institutions to help prepare the nurses of tomorrow and meet the goals of the higher education strategic plan to close equity gaps.”
Nursing school grants will be used to enhance nursing programs and efforts to close equity gaps in enrollment, course completion, graduation, and licensure by underrepresented students. Funds may be used for hiring additional nursing faculty and staff, developing and expanding instructional programs and modalities, expanding academic support services, improving classroom and lab spaces, purchasing equipment and instructional materials, and more.
Grants were awarded through a competitive application process where institutions submitted disaggregated data about the enrollment, retention, completion, and job placement rates of their students during a multi-year period and how grant funds would be used to enhance their program’s efforts to close equity gaps and improve student success.