Students at Edward Waters University (EWU), a historically Black institution in Jacksonville, Florida, will soon be able to pursue a four-year nursing degree through the University of Florida’s (UF) College of Nursing.
Qualified biological science majors at EWU, which does not have a nursing program, can participate in the accelerated nursing program at the UF Health Jacksonville campus. The partnership is designed to address the ongoing shortage of nurses and also create more opportunities for Black students.
“We believe that this first-of-its-kind focused academic and health-related collaborative initiative between EWU and UF will operate to positively address our state’s growing need for more nursing and health care professionals overall and support the increasing promulgation of the same, particularly amongst African-Americans and other communities of color,” EWU President and CEO A. Zachary Faison Jr. said in a press release.
Students participating in the program will take prerequisite courses at EWU and finish the remainder of their required courses at UF. The accelerated bachelor’s degree is expected to grow from 40 to 80 students by 2025, according to UF.
“Consistent with our core values of caring, diversity, engagement, excellence in learning and service, this program will provide innovative, high-quality academic nursing programs to meet the growing workforce needs for baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the state of Florida,” Anna M. McDaniel, dean of the UF College of Nursing, said in the release.
