DATE: July 20, 2009
CONTACT: Robin Hutchinson Bell
Director of College Relations
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
614-234-1372/cell: 886-1825
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mount Carmel College of Nursing Receives Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant to Fund Scholarships for Accelerated Nursing
COLUMBUS, OHIO…The prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has awarded $160,000 in grant funding to Mount Carmel College of Nursing (MCCN) through its New Careers in Nursing Scholarship program. The funds will be used to recruit underrepresented students into the Second Degree Accelerated Program (SDAP) ---qualified students who otherwise would not have the financial support to attend the nursing program. As part of the grant, MCCN will also expand its SDAP enrollment from 64students to 72.
The grant is divided into sixteen $10,000 scholarships for students enrolled in MCCN’s Second Degree Accelerated Program. The SDAP is a fast-track program providing talented graduates from other disciplines the opportunity to enter the nursing profession by earning a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) in just 13 months.
Although enrollment in accelerated programs has steadily increased, many potential students cannot enroll since their college degree disqualifies them from most federal financial aid for entry-level students. The New Careers in Nursing scholarships address this problem, and the overall nursing shortage, by enabling hundreds of students to launch their nursing careers through accelerated education. RWJF funds scholarships for students seeking accelerated nursing degrees as the most efficient way to increase the number of new nurses, while also increasing diversity in the nursing profession by providing scholarships to students from underrepresented groups in nursing or disadvantaged backgrounds.
The RWJF grant provides MCCN the continued opportunity to recruit and enroll students from groups underrepresented in nursing due to ethnicity, culture and gender; examples include African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Alaskan, and men.
The program also benefits qualified applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds without the personal financial resources to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in nursing. Individuals who have lost jobs and savings in the economic downturn are searching for second careers, and nursing represents a unique opportunity to enter one of the fastest growing, highest-opportunity career fields available today. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds include those who have incomes below the poverty level, who have difficulty securing educational loans, who live in designated counties in Ohio, and who are first generation college students.
MCCN’s SDAP is open to men and women who can attend college full time, have earned a baccalaureate degree with a cumulative minimum 3.0 GPA (grade point average), and meet other admission criteria.
The same classroom and clinical nursing classes offered in MCCN’s traditional, four-year BSN program are included in the SDAP in a compressed time frame. Tuition is $25,500 over the 13-month period. The RWJF grant will help students who qualify to offset this cost. Award preference is given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds.
If you or someone you know could benefit from MCCN’s Second Degree Accelerated Program, visit www.mccn.edu or call 614-234-5800.
ABOUT MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE OF NURSING
Mount Carmel is a specialized institution of higher education, offering the following programs: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Adult Health, Nursing Administration and Nursing Education, Dietetic Internship, and an Online RN Refresher Course. Mount Carmel has one of the largest baccalaureate nursing programs in the State of Ohio and is affiliated with the Mount Carmel Health System. Founded in 1903 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the College is located at 127 South Davis Avenue in Columbus, on the campus of Mount Carmel West Hospital. For information about our programs, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.mccn.edu" www.mccn.edu or call us at 614-234-5800.
ABOUT THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and healthcare issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and healthcare of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.