The $566,000 grant comes via the state of West Virginia’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program. It will allow the university to make program enhancements to attract and retain nursing students amid workforce shortages.

The Center for Rural Education and Development seeks to enhance education and workforce development in the Southern Appalachian region through a number of initiatives and partnerships.

The TEST Hub, which is planned to open in 2027, will be a facility to support advanced manufacturing education and workforce development.

MobileMOC will officially launch on March 25 and will expand access to healthcare for older individuals and caregivers living in rural Tennessee.

This year’s Remote Area Medical clinic will occur on March 22 and 23, with free healthcare services, including physicals, dental work, and optometry exams provided to anyone who needs them.

The partnership will begin in the Fall 2025 semester and will see participants earning a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lipscomb University and receiving the benefits of the Memphis Teacher Residency program.

The fund was created in honor of Dr. Gary McKnight, who spent 30 years instructing and mentoring in the FHU music program before retiring in 2024.

The grant funding is supporting two separate projects, which are both pilot courses for the Spring 2025 semester, using Open Educational Resources. OER are teaching and learning materials that are free to use and help reduce textbook costs as education barriers.

The partnership will form the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Medical Accelerated Pathway Program that will help medical students complete their education one year faster than normal.

The grant comes via the Appalachian Regional Commission and will be used to address shortages in the aviation industry in the Appalachian Region by creating a regional aviation education network.