ABSTRACT Project Title: Xavier University Nurse Faculty Loan Program 2021 Applicant Organization Name: Xavier University Address: 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207-7351 Project Director: Susan R Allen, PhD, RN-BC Phone: 513-745-4232; Fax: 513-745-1087; Email: allens14@xavier.edu Organization Web Site Address: www.xavier.edu Funds requested: $327,888; Statutory funding priority is requested Xavier University College of Nursing (XU CN), a CCNE accredited program, requests continuing (renewal) Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) funding to support new and continuing participants of the next generation of highly qualified nursing faculty The XU CN proposes to sustain enrollment in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Population Health Leadership degree program for 12 continuing and 10 new eligible students from diverse backgrounds to be prepared as nurse faculty with NFLP financial support Funding is requested for a total of 22 qualified DNP students for the 2021-2022 academic year; 10 are expected to enter the nurse faculty workforce this year Students who receive NFLP funding will sign a promissory note indicating their commitment to be nurse faculty after graduation from the program The DNP program is taught online and consists of 40-43 semester credit hours Students wishing to pursue nursing careers under the NFLP award will be required to complete an additional three (3) credits and recommended to complete up to nine (9) credits of Nurse Educator courses currently taught within the XU CN Nurse Educator track of the Master of Science in Nursing degree program In order to accomplish this purpose for the 2021-2022 academic year, $327,888 Federal Capital Contribution is requested Three measurable objectives direct the project Objective 1: Increase the number of qualified nursing faculty who are prepared to teach the next generation of nurses working within the evolving health care system of our nation and connecting skilled professionals with communities in need Objective 2: Mentor students and link graduates of the program with potential faculty needs and employment opportunities both locally and nationally Objective 3: Track graduates and ensure they are fulfilling the requirement of this loan forgiveness program by working as nurse educators for at least four years following graduation Successful recruitment is already occurring through virtual meetings with the DNP program director and web-based advertisement of the potential continuing opportunity Academic-to-academic partnerships are established with local and rural partners Through these partnerships, and other Ohio and AACN connections with Schools of Nursing, and within the XU CN course work, students are mentored in the roles of nurse faculty and potential employment opportunities are identified In addition, linkages with current professional networks and alumni support the announcement of faculty openings and needs for future faculty employment Xavier University (XU) has a sophisticated process and resources for establishing and maintaining a student loan fund XU contributes one-ninth of the Federal award amount, and following graduation, tracks and provides cancelation up to 85% of the loan through a monitoring process for loan forgiveness programs, ensuring fulfillment of the required faculty commitment from students The Offices of the Controller, Bursar, and Student Financial Services are committed to this project and will continue to be involved in its planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation In addition, the XU CN has a mentoring process in place to advise, guide, track and follow-up on students throughout the program, and following graduation in roles as nurse faculty This project will address the nation’s projected crisis shortage of registered nurses and the need for qualified doctoral prepared faculty to teach the next generation of nurses Xavier University – Grant # E01HP31020