Bowie State University, Maryland’s first Historically Black College and University (HBCU), has received new funding to increase the number of nurse educators in the state.
According to a school news release, the university has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the Maryland Department of Nursing, administered through the Maryland Higher Education Commission, marking the department’s largest grant to date. The funding will be used to support 20 doctoral faculty members in its Ph.D. program over four years with the overarching goal of advancing the nursing workforce by bolstering nurse educators statewide.
Bowie State University serves over 6,100 students, according to the school’s LinkedIn. It offers 29 undergraduate majors, 21 master’s degree programs, 16 specialty certificates and three doctoral programs with focus areas such as science, technology, business, education and related disciplines, its website states.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there will be 193,100 registered nurse vacancies annually by 2032 as a result of retirements and those taking a step back from the workforce, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s website.
Additionally, 80% of nursing faculty vacancies require or prefer a doctoral degree.
“Nationwide, there is a shortage of nurse educators, which restricts the ability of nursing schools to enroll and graduate sufficient professional nurses to meet the growing demands of our healthcare system,” Dr. Jacqueline Hill, chair of the Department of Nursing, said in a press release. “The MHEC grant will enable the university to prepare more Ph.D. nurse educators and increase the number of students enrolled in our undergraduate nursing program.”
She continued, “MHEC’s grant is nothing short of a game changer for Bowie State’s department of nursing. With an increase in Ph.D. nursing faculty, we will be able to prepare more nurses to expand the workforce in a field that is in dire need of highly qualified healthcare clinicians.”
