TWU Nursing Program To Receive $1.1 Million For Increased Enrollment

1/27/03

DENTON — Texas Woman's University will receive an additional $1,105,921 in state funding — more than twice the amount any other Texas university will receive — for increasing its undergraduate nursing student enrollment by 20.1 percent from fall 2001 to fall 2002.

TWU will receive the funds — 38 percent of the total awarded statewide — through Senate Bill 572 passed during the 2001 legislative session. Senate Bill 572 offers several incentives to undergraduate nursing programs for retaining and enrolling more students. Among its provisions is one making available additional formula funding to programs that increase upper-level student credit hours by more than 6 percent from fall 2000 to fall 2002. TWU student credit hours increased by 36 percent from fall 2000 to fall 2002.

Under the same legislation, TWU received $517,328 for the 2001-2002 academic year for increasing student credit hours by 17 percent. The SB 572 goal for that year was a 3 percent increase.

"Just over a half-million dollars in additional funding was exciting last year," said Dr. Carolyn Gunning, dean of the College of Nursing. "More than $1 million this year is thrilling."

Upper-level undergraduate nursing enrollment in fall 2000 was 542 students. Upper-level enrollment in fall 2001 was 582 students. Enrollment for fall 2002 was 699 students.

TWU has 127 additional undergraduate nursing students who are already registered nurses but do not have a baccalaureate degree. Their student credit hours are not counted in the dramatic enrollment growth funding formula.

"TWU has taken a leadership role in addressing Texas' nursing shortage by adding faculty to accommodate more students who want to attend TWU and by initiating programs to help retain students," said TWU Chancellor Dr. Ann Stuart. "We're proud of our College of Nursing and its faculty for stepping up to the challenge of addressing the nursing shortage."

TWU has added six new teaching positions in the College of Nursing since 2000 — four in 2001 and two in 2002 — to accommodate upper-level students. The additional students were juniors who had already completed two years of core class instruction and were ready to begin intensive nursing instruction and clinicals, said Dr. Gunning.

The College of Nursing's Student Success Program for at-risk students received the 2002 Texas Higher Education Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. At-risk students in the take courses in time management, study skills, English usage, test taking, computer usage, medical calculations, understanding the

role of nurses in American professional culture, managing stress and thinking critically. Without the program, historical data suggests about one-half of participating students most likely would have dropped out of the nursing program.

Prior to adding four faculty in fall 2001, enrollment in TWU's nursing program was at capacity and many prospective students were on a waiting list. Before knowing how much additional funding the university could qualify for under SB 572, Dr. Stuart made the decision to hire additional faculty to accommodate many of the students on the waiting list.

###

2003 Nursing Program Dramatic Enrollment Growth Funds

• Texas Woman's University — $1,105,921
• Angelo State University — $103,103
• Lamar University — $241,442
• Stephen F. Austin State University — $226,600
• TAMU-Corpus Christi — $133,014
• Texas A&M International University — $81,236
• University of Texas-Arlington — $430,880
• University of Texas-El Paso — $550,411

For Further Information Contact:

Roy Kron
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: rkron@twu.edu