Kent State University‘s College of Nursing has received a grant that will enable it to award 10 $10,000 scholarships.
The college will use the funding to boost the number of students enrolled in its accelerated nursing program, and increase the diversity of its student population, according to a statement from Kent State.
The funding comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which has awarded Kent State $400,000 over the last three years under its nursing scholarship program.
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The scholarships will be given to entry-level nursing students in accelerated programs during the 2010-2011 academic year, with preference given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the statement.
The grants are aimed at taking a bite out of the U.S. nursing shortage, which is expected to worsen in coming years as baby boomers age and demand for healthcare grows. Estimates of the shortage’s severity differ, but the Kaiser Family Foundation pegged the number at 340,000 by 2020.
Kent State’s College of Nursing ranks as the fifth-largest nursing school in the nation, according to ModernHealthcare.
