The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) Secretary, Dr. James D. Fielder, announced the Nurse Support Program II (NSP II) will administer more than $1.3 million in faculty funding to continue increasing Maryland’s academic capacity to educate nurses.
“This funding has become increasingly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the need for highly educated healthcare professionals are being called back to the frontlines due to the new surge of positive cases reported,” Governor Larry Hogan said.
There are 51 newly nominated nursing faculty that received the New Nursing Faculty Fellowship (NNFF) and will be awarded a total of $50,000, over a five-year period. The new recipients will receive $10,000 this year and $10,000 each consecutive year. In addition, 81 previously awarded nurse faculty received their ongoing disbursements, of $10,000 each, based on continued full-time employment in good standing.
“During the pandemic, NSP II has not wavered in its ongoing efforts to provide a nurse faculty workforce prepared to graduate additional newly licensed registered nurses for Maryland’s hospitals and health systems,” Secretary Fielder said.
The NNFF awards, totaling $1,320,000, were in response to 132 nomination requests from the Deans and Directors of Nursing Programs at eight Maryland universities and nine community colleges, including:
- Bowie State University
- Frostburg State University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Notre Dame of Maryland University
- Salisbury University
- Stevenson University
- Towson University
- University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Allegany College of Maryland
- Anne Arundel Community College
- Chesapeake College
- College of Southern Maryland
- Community College of Baltimore County
- Harford Community College
- Montgomery College
- Prince George’s Community College
- Wor-Wic Community College
“This year’s nominees included 45% new nursing faculty from underrepresented groups in nursing, specifically men and African American, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian and Alaskan natives, which is a high priority for the nursing profession and integral to NSP II,” said Dr. Peggy Daw, NSP II Director.
This is an annual awarding process instituted in 2005, with new nominations due every August. The program is recognized as effective in the recruitment and retention of new nurse faculty. They are evaluated at 3-years of employment where findings indicate 9 out of 10 of the NNFF’s remain employed full-time at a Maryland nursing program.
The Nurse Support Program is funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) and administered by MHEC. Over the years, the Nurse Support Program, both NSP I and NSP II (originally Nurse Education Support Program) has been expanded to encourage new and innovative approaches to address the challenges and demands facing nursing.
To learn more about the NSP II, please go to https://nursesupport.org/nurse-support-program-ii/grants/statewide-initiatives/-new-nursing-faculty-fellowship-nnff-/
