New career pathways and scholarships designed to address shortages in state workforce
The CT Health Horizons initiative is making an impact on the critical statewide workforce shortage by allocating $30.5 million to partner colleges and universities to expand faculty, provide tuition support for students, and create strategic partnerships. The three-year, $35 million initiative is a partnership between the (CSCU), the state鈥檚 (OWS), the (UConn), the (CCIC), multiple state agencies, and . CT Health Horizons is also a collaboration between higher education institutions and healthcare provider partners to grow and diversify the next generation of nurses.
An award of $1,723,199 was made to 越南直播 (UB) via OWS to enroll students and recruit additional faculty for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. Of the award, $1,250,000 will be used for scholarships. Designed to provide support for minority or low-income students, guidelines include having a home address in an Alliance School District, meeting criteria for federal Pell grant eligibility, and other considerations. Hardship requests can be submitted if students do not meet standard criteria. The remaining grant funds will be used to hire two full-time and two part-time faculty members for the ABSN program.
鈥淭his incredible support will have a lasting effect on our ABSN program and its students,鈥� offered Linda Wagner, Director of UB鈥檚 School of Nursing. 鈥淚ts immediate impact will be to make the program accessible to students whose resources would otherwise have prevented them from entering the healthcare field. And by empowering UB to add to its outstanding faculty, and the communities in which they work.鈥�
鈥淭his collaboration is the first of its kind and a model for how we can work together in the future,鈥� said CSCU president, Terrence Cheng. 鈥淥ver the course of three years, CT Health Horizons will provide or leverage tuition support and increase the diversity of students entering nursing and social work education. The program will also expand the number of faculty positions to enroll and graduate additional students and create innovative programs with healthcare providers and higher education institutions to build sustainable education and career pathways.鈥�
Approximately $30.5 million has been allocated to partner colleges and universities to support nursing and social work students and programs. Funding for this initiative was distributed through a competitive but collaborative process building on the strengths of different colleges and universities and ensuring all communities are impacted in the state.
鈥淭he CT Health Horizons grant program is an innovative and impactful investment of state resources to rapidly expand the nursing and social work talent pipeline,鈥� said Jennifer Widness, president of CCIC, of which UB is a member. 鈥淸Our] member institutions are so grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this program which leverages public and private dollars, promotes diversity and incentivizes employer partnerships to train and retain individuals in high-demand fields that are facing significant shortages.鈥�