Grant Awards Bowie State University $2.2M to Expand Doctoral Faculty Ranks
In a bid to address the ongoing nurse faculty shortage in the United States, Bowie State University's Department of Nursing has received a significant boost. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has awarded the department a $2.2 million grant, marking the largest ever awarded to the department.
The grant comes at a crucial time, as faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country are limiting student capacity, according to the AACN faculty shortage report. Nearly 80% of nursing faculty vacancies require or prefer a doctoral degree, and the national nursing faculty vacancy rate stands at 7.8%.
The need for professional registered nurses continues to grow, but faculty shortages are hindering this demand. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) projects 193,100 registered nurse vacancies each year through 2032.
Dr. Jacqueline Hill, chair of the Department of Nursing at Bowie State University, described MHEC's grant as a game changer. The four-year project aims to increase the number of doctoral faculty members at the university, with the goal of having 20 students in the Ph.D. program by 2029. Starting from 2029 and subsequent years, five new Ph.D. nurse faculty will graduate from the program.
Bowie State University, a leading research institution and the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Maryland, offers a wide range of academic programs, including bioinformatics, computer science, accounting, biology, nursing, and mental health counseling. The university provides high-quality, affordable education in a supportive environment that empowers students to think critically, make new discoveries, value differences, and emerge as leaders in a rapidly changing global society.
The grant is expected to enable the university to prepare more Ph.D. nurse educators and increase the number of students enrolled in the undergraduate nursing program. Typically, such grants are used to support initiatives aimed at increasing the capacity of nursing programs, enhancing faculty development, and improving educational infrastructure. These efforts often focus on recruiting and retaining nurse faculty, developing new programs to increase the supply of nurses, and leveraging technology to enhance nursing education.
Bowie State University's efforts to address the nurse faculty shortage are part of a larger national effort to expand the number of nurse educators and prepare more highly qualified healthcare clinicians to meet the growing demand for professional registered nurses.
- The significant grant awarded by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) to Bowie State University's Department of Nursing will play a pivotal role in increasing the number of doctoral faculty members in education-and-self-development, specifically within online-learning platforms, to meet the growing demand for nurse educators.
- In the realm of finance, the grant will be utilized to support initiatives aimed at increasing the capacity of the nursing industry, enhancing faculty development, and improving educational infrastructure through the use of technology in online-education.
- The awarded grant, being the largest ever received by Bowie State University's Department of Nursing, mirrors a broader trend in science and industry, where educational institutions are collaborating to address critical shortages in essential professions like nursing, in an effort to foster a more self-sustaining and adaptive workforce.
