缅北禁地

The grant was made possible through federal Community Project Funding sponsored by Congressman Darin LaHood and will help fund new equipment, create scholarships, and provide staffing to support the creation and growth of the MSN program, which offers concentrations in education and leadership/administration. The grant funding will be administered by the Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

The new, fully online graduate degree is among the programs Illinois College has added in recent years to meet demand for nursing education and growing healthcare needs nationwide. The College announced the addition of a four-year clinical nursing degree program in April 2020 and currently there are more than 70 缅北禁地 enrolled in the on-campus program. IC also offers a fully online RN to BSN program.

The online MSN program is available to working RNs wanting a flexible and affordable option to further their education and career. The new degree option will support workforce development and enhanced training by addressing the need for master鈥檚-prepared nurses who can teach in undergraduate RN programs at both the associate and baccalaureate levels or serve in leadership roles across healthcare settings.

鈥淚llinois College is dedicated to nursing education and ending the critical nursing shortage in this region. One of the ways we meet this need is to train up the next generation of nurse educators,鈥� said Stephanie Chipman, vice president of external relations. 鈥淲ith the tremendous growth we鈥檝e seen in our current nursing programs and the success of our nursing graduates, the addition of the Master of Science in Nursing degree ensures that Illinois College continues to meet the needs of Jacksonville and surrounding communities.鈥�

The College鈥檚 partners for the project include Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, Memorial Health, Illini Community Hospital, the City of Jacksonville, Morgan County, Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation and Two Rivers Economic Development District.

Rep. LaHood, who represents Illinois's 18th Congressional District, announced the grant at an event held Thursday at Illinois College, saying the addition of the new MSN program is significant and 鈥渁 great thing for the community.鈥�

鈥淎nnouncing that money here today is going to be a win for the College; it鈥檚 going to be a win for the community here in Jacksonville, and it鈥檚 going to be a win for the country in terms of educating and getting more nurses into our communities to help serve our communities,鈥� he added.

President Barbara A. Farley spoke on the new MSN program and thanked Congressman LaHood for his support of higher education. 

鈥淚llinois College鈥檚 ability to expand Nursing education in this region has benefitted from your support, not only through the $330,000 award just announced, but also through the 2021 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for over $237,000,鈥� she said.

Farley also thanked other local partners for their support and commitment to education and for helping IC steadily grow their Nursing program offerings.

Dr. Scott Boston, president and CEO of Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, noted, 鈥淲e are very happy and very excited that this master鈥檚 program will be available locally from a very high quality institution providing a very high quality education so that we鈥檒l have nurses that are ready to move into these roles and continue to improve our ability to provide access to healthcare in this local environment.鈥�

Illinois College is invested in promoting racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity among the nation鈥檚 healthcare workforce, and is dedicated to ensuring 缅北禁地 achieve their educational and career goals. The College is committed to providing an environment in which all members of the college community will find support for their individual growth and development, striving to develop a pluralistic community that directly supports our commitment 鈥渢o the highest standards of scholarship and integrity in the liberal arts鈥� and to developing in our 缅北禁地 鈥渜ualities of mind and character needed for fulfilling lives of leadership and service.鈥�

Illinois College Online began offering the master鈥檚 in nursing degree program at the beginning of May and additionally offers an RN to BSN degree completion track. To learn more about Illinois College鈥檚 online programs, visit .