The funding comes via the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and will help the university bolster nursing program enrollment and recruit and retain faculty within the nursing department.
Fairmont State University has received a $1 million grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s nursing workforce expansion program. The funding will benefit the university’s nursing programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Licensed Practical Nurse-Associate of Science in Nursing (LPN-ASN) programs. The grant money will allow the programs to make a number of improvements, including in recruiting new faculty and in enhancing program enrollments.
According to an article on Fairmont State University’s website, Deborah Struth, PhD, who serves as the Interim Dean of Nursing, will be leading the grant project to enhance the nursing program. She is quoted as saying, “This funding will cover the cost of standardized testing and educational modules across all nursing courses, reducing the financial burden on our students. We will also offer workshops to help new nursing students improve test-taking skills. These interventions, implemented in the first two years of the WVHEPC workforce expansion grant, have contributed to a 10% increase in NCLEX-RN pass rates.”
The funding will support the attraction and retention of new faculty members, in addition to attracting more students to the program. Faculty members will be able to access professional development opportunities, as well, including attending conferences that will keep their own skills up to date and will help them educate their students.
Struth noted that training faculty members will also have an impact on student success. She said, “The College of Nursing currently boasts an 80.9% on-time graduation rate. Faculty development and networking with other nurse educators play a key role in achieving strong student outcomes. New faculty learn to identify at-risk students and implement strategies that help them become more effective adult learners.”
The grant funding will also allow for the implementation of Assessment Technology Institute test preparation that will help students prepare for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.
For more information about Fairmont State University, visit the school’s website.