Arizona State University’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation announced June 8 it had received a $5.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to fund scholarships to cover 100 percent of tuition and fees for 140 nurses to enroll in its Master of Science in nursing (nursing education) program.

The scholarship will also include opportunities to become a certified nurse educator through the National League for Nursing, attend national nursing conferences, join professional nursing organizations and participate in academic immersions at ASU, according to an ASU News article.

“This grant will go a long way toward meeting a critical need for nursing faculty, particularly in rural communities around Arizona. We are thrilled to be partnering with community colleges and clinical partners statewide to help advance the academic preparation of nursing faculty,” said Edson College Dean Judith Karshmer.

Students who enroll in the program will work with other Arizona institutions to complete the coursework and use it at partner sites. For example, Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Arizona has been a partner with the Edson College for years and it plans to participate. EAC Director of Nursing Sara Lemley says they have a hard time attracting graduate-level faculty to the college and this will go a long way.

“For our rural community, it’s quite a big deal because we do have a hard time attracting MSN-prepared nurses here, but we have a lot of nurses that are already here working and they love the area. So being able to apply for the scholarships funded by this grant will give them the opportunity to achieve that master’s level and help with our college even more,” she said.

Across the state, efforts have been made to reduce Arizona’s health care workforce shortage. Most recently, the Arizona Department of Health Services awarded a total of $43.1 million to ASU, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, as well as Grand Canyon and Creighton University to expand accelerated nursing programs in Arizona. The Edson College at ASU has increased 64 percent since 2019 in an effort to combat the state’s growing shortage of nurses.

For more information on how to apply for the scholarship, email [email protected] or call 602-496-0937.