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Five University of Maryland School of Nursing Faculty Members Awarded Nurse Support Program II Grants

June 23, 2015

Grants will help increase number of well-prepared nurses in Maryland.

Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) is pleased to announce that five faculty members have been awarded Nurse Support Program II (NSP II) grants through the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). Vanessa Fahie, PhD ’94, BSN ’76, RN, assistant professor ($101,000); Patricia Franklin, PhD, RN, assistant professor and director of professional education ($2,500,000); Janice Hoffman, PhD ’06, RN, ANEF, associate professor and assistant dean for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program ($412,682); Shannon Idzik, DNP ’10, MS, ’03, CRNP, CCRN, associate professor and assistant dean for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program ($470,659); and Louise S. Jenkins, PhD ’85, MS ‘81, RN, FAHA, ANEF, professor and director of the Institute for Educators in Nursing and Health Professions ($1,579,097), all received grants to assist with the funding of various programs.

NSP II grants aid in increasing the capacity of nurses in Maryland by implementing statewide initiatives to grow the number of nurses prepared to function effectively in faculty roles. MHEC offers a number of educational grant programs funded by state general funds, special funds, and federal funds. The programs are designed to address Maryland’s economic and workforce development needs, campus reform initiatives, student preparation for post-secondary education, faculty and student diversity goals, and teacher professional development objectives.

“The NSP II grants will provide our School with the necessary resources to increase the number of nurse educators in Maryland who are tasked with successfully preparing the nursing workforce of the future,” said UMSON Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN.  “Thanks to the generosity of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, which funds these awards, we can continue to attract high-quality nurse educators who encourage innovative approaches in addressing the challenges and demands that face nurses in the workforce.”

MHEC seeks to ensure that the people of Maryland have access to a high-quality, diverse, adequately funded, effectively managed, and capably led system of post-secondary education. It accomplishes this mission through the provision of statewide planning, leadership, coordination, and advocacy for the state's post-secondary educational institutions and through the administration of state financial aid programs.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools, and is ranked sixth nationally. Enrolling more than 1,600 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.