Last Updated on May 8, 2017 by cassnetwork
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — WGU Indiana is celebrating National Nurses Week by offering up to $50,000 in new scholarships for students applying to nursing and healthcare profession degree programs. As WGU staff travels the state throughout the month of May, they will meet with nursing students, alumni and hospital personnel.
National Nurses Week runs from May 6 through May 12. This year, WGU Indiana is recognizing nurses and healthcare professionals with more than $50,000 of newly available scholarships for these students. The “WGU Loves Nurses” Scholarship is worth $2,000 for applicants to WGU Indiana’s health profession degree programs, including the new B.S. in health informatics and MBA in healthcare management.
“National Nurses Week provides us with an opportunity to hold up our nursing students and alumni, and to showcase the incredible work they do at hospitals and clinics throughout Indiana,” said Chancellor Allison Barber. “The online, competency-based model WGU Indiana nurses complete demonstrates their drive. Perhaps that is why WGU alums are nearly twice as likely as their peers to thrive in all elements of fundamental well-being, according to the Gallup-Purdue Index.”
WGU staff will also be touring the state throughout the month of May, attending 16 nursing events from pinning ceremonies to job fairs.
“The Indiana health care community is fortunate to have WGU Indiana as a devoted educational partner,” said Cindy Adams, PhD, chief nursing officer for St. Vincent in Indiana. “There are thousands of working nurses who want to advance their careers in health care, but don’t have the time or resources to enroll in a traditional university. For them, WGU Indiana provides an ideal solution.”
National Nurses Week also provides occasion for new partnerships in the healthcare sector. This week, WGU Indiana has announced a new scholarship for members of the Indiana Emergency Nurses Association and a partnership with Jasper Memorial Hospital in Dubois County.
Over 1,700 nurses have graduated from WGU Indiana since its founding seven years ago and another 1,347 nursing students are currently pursuing BSN and MSN degrees through WGU Indiana.
WGU Indiana is the state’s nonprofit, online university. Using a competency-based model that allows students to accelerate at their own pace and curriculum developed with input from leading employers, WGU Indiana offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Business, Education, Information Technology and Healthcare Professions, including Nursing. WGU Indiana has awarded more than 4,200 degrees and has more than 5,100 students currently enrolled. In 2012, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education recognized WGU Indiana and its Reaching Higher, Achieving More agenda for its excellence in academic quality. The university was also recognized as one of Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2013. In 2014, WGU’s secondary teacher preparation program ranked first among 2,400 schools for quality by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). According to a study conducted by Gallup in 2014, WGU graduates are more likely than those from other U.S. universities to have the jobs they want, feel engaged at work, and have an emotional attachment to their alma mater.
SOURCE: News release from Western Governor’s University