Seizing the Initiative

“This new endowment will make it financially possible for well qualified nurses to pursue doctoral degrees in order to build the pool of nurse faculty.”

–ASSOCIATE DEAN KATHY HUTCHINSON

Health care crisis is a catalyst for new graduate fellowship

The global shortage in nursing staff has been both spotlighted and exacerbated by the pandemic. But another crisis is brewing in this crucial field that isn’t as widely known, says Kathy Hutchinson, associate dean for graduate programs at the College of Nursing, and that is “an acute and growing shortage of nursing faculty across the U.S.”

This lack of available instruction means that more than 80,000 qualified applicants have been turned away in recent years, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

This crisis serves as a decisive moment for the College of Nursing, spurring the formation of an endowment that will create a pipeline of potential nurse educators. A small group of donors has committed $750,000 to establish the Barcott-Kim Nursing Fellowship, an innovative expansion and repurposing of the 20-year-old Hesook Suzie Kim Graduate Nursing Fund—named in honor of Professors Emeritae Donna Schwartz-Barcott and Hesook Suzie Kim, the cofounders of URI’s nursing doctoral program, the first of its kind at a public university in New England.

Nursing Continues to Climb

The College of Nursing master’s degree program, already among the top 10 percent in the country, has jumped eight spots from one year to the next to #45 overall in the national rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The program has consistently risen in the rankings each year, making an impressive climb from #133 in 2016.

“This recognition is a credit to our dynamic faculty, staff, clinical partners and, of course, our top-notch students,” College of Nursing Dean Barbara Wolfe said. “Everyone in the College has played an important role in achieving this distinction, which only hardens our resolve to educate the best nurses and nurse scientists, who are prepared to be health care leaders locally, nationally, and globally.”

This new endowment, says Professor Hutchinson, “will make it financially possible for well qualified nurses to pursue doctoral degrees in order to build the pool of nurse faculty.”

The Barcott-Kim fellowships will select and support RNs who demonstrate a clear commitment to research and teaching. “Not only is this a fabulous opportunity for budding scholars,” says College of Nursing Dean Barbara Wolfe, “but a wonderful mechanism to prepare future educators.” With the continued generosity of donors, the endowment should experience rapid growth in the coming months: an anonymous donor has issued a $500,000 challenge that will match all gifts through the end of 2022.

URI College of Nursing recently marked its third consecutive annual ascent in national rankings, breaking into the top 50 of U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Nursing Schools Master’s Programs, coming in at #45. In addition, the College is ranked first in New England for federal research funding from the National Institutes of Health.