DCI News

Jefferson City, Mo – In 2011, legislation was passed that authorized the Missouri Board of Nursing to provide funding for the Nursing Education Incentive Program. This allowed any institution of higher education accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association that offered a nursing program to apply for grants. Grant award amounts could not exceed $150,000 and no campus could receive more than one grant per year. The board awarded grants in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2017. They are awarding the grants again this year, bringing the total investment in nursing education programs to $5,333,194.

At the Board’s Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 2018 meeting, they approved grant funding for these five nursing programs:

• Columbia College -- $150,000
• Goldfarb School of Nursing -- $150,000
• Missouri State University -- $148,233
• St. Luke’s College of Health Sciences -- $95,750
• State Fair Community College -- $149,370

State Board of Nursing Executive Director Lori Scheidt said, “I’d like to thank our legislators for approving the grant authority so we can help nursing programs increase their physical and educational capacity. I am proud of our team. We have successfully kept our licensure fees the lowest in the nation while also maintaining our ability to offer this grant funding. Nursing programs generally operate on very lean budgets and these grants allow programs to increase the number of nurse graduates and make other improvements to improve the quality of education.”

Adhering to the grant requirements, this year’s grant recipients plan to utilize their awards to increase enrollment through the addition of nursing faculty, enhance simulation resources, utilize technology to augment student learning, and for development of an adjunct faculty academy . Grant recipients are required to provide periodic updates to the Board related to the utilization and impact of the funding awarded to them.