The grant will be used for investments necessary to support expanded enrollment, such as faculty and staff recruiting and compensation, educational equipment and supportive services for students.
Indiana University Health, the state’s most comprehensive physician and hospital network, has awarded Ivy Tech Community College an $8.75 million grant to expand its nursing program and increase nursing student enrollment. The grant will be used for investments necessary to support expanded enrollment, such as faculty and staff recruiting and compensation, educational equipment and supportive services for students.
“Our healthcare systems in Indiana are in critical need of skilled nurses, and Ivy Tech is well-positioned l to deliver on this need,” said IU Health Executive Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive Jason Gilbert. “Currently there are qualified applicants each year in Indiana who are turned away from nursing schools due to limitations on teaching space, clinical placement availability and faculty resources. It is incumbent upon health systems, working with our educational partners, to support an expansion of the educational pipeline to allow more qualified students to become professional nurses. This partnership with Ivy Tech is a significant step toward expanding healthcare delivery to Hoosiers for generations to come.”
Labor market data from Emsi/Burning Glass estimates there are 4,300 annual openings for nurses today, with a need for another 5,000 nurses by 2031. That leaves a gap of 1,350 nursing graduates to meet Indiana’s need with current educational resources. The expanded nursing program at Ivy Tech will increase nursing admissions by 600 students annually by 2025, contributing significantly to filling the gap.
Ivy Tech currently offers nursing programs at 18 of its 19 campuses, with a program planned to launch at the remaining campus – Hamilton County — by early 2023. Ivy Tech currently graduates more than 1,300 associate-degree nursing students every year, more than any other institution in Indiana and the largest in the nation. Additionally, more than 90 percent of Ivy Tech nursing graduates stay in Indiana.
“This grant will be a huge step in helping Ivy Tech meet the needs of our health system partners in a real and practical way,” said Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech. “Our ability to educate nurses and keep them in our state will create real value for our economy and the health of Indiana. We’re very proud to partner with IU Health and appreciate its investment in our program.”
Ivy Tech has been developing a plan for increasing nursing enrollment that includes investments in equipment, supplies and faculty, as well as tools to better support nursing students in their academic success. The College estimates those investments will require $8.7 million in recurring costs over three years as well as $12.1 million in one-time costs.