La Salle University Receives Grant for Nursing Faculty Education

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation (PHEF), in partnership with Independence Blue Cross, recently presented La Salle University with a $50,000 check as part of the PHEF's new Nursing Faculty Lines Program. This marks the first disbursement of funds to La Salle for the three-year program totaling $150,000.

In response to the national shortage of nursing faculty, the Nursing Faculty Lines Program provides assistance for current nursing faculty to complete doctoral degrees and allows nursing programs to hire graduate assistants to teach nursing classes.

"Nurse educators are critically important to our long-term efforts to reverse Pennsylvania's nursing shortage," said Michael Hershock, President and CEO of the PHEF. "This is just one part of our multi-faceted approach to tackling the shortage by adding and supporting faculty at our schools of nursing who will teach tomorrow's nurses."

La Salle will use the funding to support 10 current, full-time, pre-doctoral faculty members. The funds will allow the faculty members to progress more rapidly toward degree completion. As they complete their doctoral degrees, the nursing faculty will be able to move into tenure-track positions, ensuring their commitment to nursing education at La Salle.

"The nursing faculty shortage impacts every nursing program in the country" said Zane Robinson Wolf, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, Dean of La Salle's School of Nursing and Health Sciences. "We are extremely grateful to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation and Independence Blue Cross for their commitment to nursing education at La Salle."