Baltimore, Maryland – (12-1-21) – The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) Secretary, Dr. James D. Fielder, announced the Nurse Support Program II (NSP II) will administer more than $2.3 million in faculty funding to continue increasing Maryland’s academic capacity to educate nurses.

“The need for highly educated health care professionals has only increased during the pandemic,” said Governor Hogan. “This funding is essential to continue the ongoing education of Maryland’s nurses in the classrooms and on the frontlines.”

There are 46 newly nominated nursing faculty that received the New Nursing Faculty Fellowship (NNFF) and will be awarded a total of $50,000, over a five-year period. The new recipients will receive $10,000 this year and $10,000 each consecutive year. In addition, 122 previously awarded nurse faculty received their ongoing disbursements, of $10,000 each, based on continued full-time employment in good standing.

“Over this past year, NSP II has continued to ensure that Maryland’s nurse faculty workforce was consistently incorporating new licensed registered nurses to keep up with the statewide need for health care providers,” Secretary Fielder said.

The NNFF awards, totaling $2,300,000, were in response to 64 nomination requests from the Deans and Directors of Nursing Programs at nine Maryland universities and nine Maryland community colleges, including:

• Bowie State University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Morgan State University
• Notre Dame of Maryland University
• Salisbury University
• Stevenson University
• Towson University
• University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Washington Adventist University
• Allegany College of Maryland
• Anne Arundel Community College
• Chesapeake College
• Community College of Baltimore County
• Frederick Community College
• Harford Community College
• Montgomery College
• Prince George’s Community College
• Wor-Wic Community College

“This year's awardees included nearly 35% new nursing faculty from underrepresented groups in nursing, including racial and ethnic minorities and men,” said Dr. Peg E. Daw, NSP II Administrator. “This is a high priority for the nursing profession and integral to NSP II’s ongoing commitment to Maryland residents and the state’s health care professionals.

This is an annual awarding process instituted in 2005, with new nominations due every August. The program is recognized as effective in the recruitment and retention of new nurse faculty. They are evaluated at 3-years of employment where findings indicate 9 out of 10 of the NNFF's remain employed full-time at a Maryland nursing program.

The Nurse Support Program is funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) and administered by MHEC. Over the years, the Nurse Support Program, both NSP I and NSP II (originally Nurse Education Support Program) has been expanded to encourage new and innovative approaches to address the challenges and demands facing nursing.

To learn more about the NSP II, please go to https://nursesupport.org/nurse-support-programii/grants/statewide-initiatives/-new-nursing-faculty-fellowship-nnff-/