UK College of Nursing Awarded Grant from Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare to Fund Doctoral Nursing Students
The Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare awarded the UK College of Nursing a grant of $20,000 that will be matched by $30,000 of the College’s own monies (over a two-year period) to support leadership development of two doctoral nursing students, Jung Hee Kang, RN, BSN, and Stephanie Kehler, BSME, BSN, RN, in 2016-17. As a recipient of the Jonas Center grant, the UK College of Nursing is part of a national effort to stem the faculty shortage and prepare the next generation of nurses and nurse leaders – critical as a clinical nurse shortage is anticipated just as an aging population requires care.
The College of Nursing Jonas Scholars join more than 1,000 future nurse educators and leaders at 140 universities across all 50 states supported by Jonas Center programs, the Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholars Program and Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program (JVHP). These scholarships support nurses pursuing PhDs and DNPs, the terminal degrees in the field, at the UK College of Nursing. They are made possible by a grant from the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare.
“This award is instrumental in the preparation of exceptional future nurse faculty leaders,” said Susan Frazier, PhD, RN, FAHA, associate professor and PhD program director at the College of Nursing. “These particular students are highly deserving of additional support in leadership training, as they have demonstrated leadership aptitude and dedication to the College during their doctoral education to date. They will each train with outstanding nurse leaders during the Jonas scholar funding period and develop additional leadership skills for use in their careers”
As the nation’s leading philanthropic funder of graduate nursing education, the Jonas Center is addressing the critical need for qualified nursing faculty. U.S. nursing schools turned away nearly 70,000 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2014 due in large part to an insufficient number of faculty[i]. Further, nearly two-thirds of registered nurses over age 54 say they are considering retirement[ii].
“In 2008, we set an ambitious goal to support 1,000 Jonas Nurse Scholars. This year, on our Center’s 10th anniversary, we celebrate this achievement and are amazed by the talent of this cohort of future nurse leaders,” said Donald Jonas, who co-founded the Center with Barbara Jonas, his wife. “In the decade to come, we look forward to continuing to work with our partner nursing schools and to the great impact that the Jonas Scholars will have on improving healthcare around the world.”
The College of Nursing Jonas Scholars will begin their additional leadership training in the fall semester, and will be supported through 2018 as they focus on such critical health priorities as maternal/child health, specifically with high-risk pregnancies, and reducing cardiovascular risk factors for rural populations.
Previous Jonas Scholars from the College of Nursing include Arica Brandford, JD, MSN, RN, and Kacy Allen-Bryant, MSN, MPH, RN, who are both working toward their PhD at the College of Nursing.
“This grant will develop these PhD students into first-rate researchers and educators who will tackle the nursing field’s current needs,” says Dr. Janie Heath, dean and Warwick Professor of Nursing. “Thank you to the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare for allowing them this opportunity.”
