SCF (SF) Receives Quarter-Million Dollar Gift
Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice Grant Supports New BSN program
(Bradenton, Fla., April 23, 2009) — The Foundation for Manatee Community
College (SCF) has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community
Foundation of Venice (GCCFV) to support the college’s new Bachelor of
Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program.
The quarter-million dollar grant will provide start-up funds to help SCF
(soon to be known as State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota) recruit
faculty with doctorate degrees and assist with curriculum and program
development of the college’s first four-year program.
“By making a major investment in locally based education of nurse leaders
with BSN degrees, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice is helping
to transform health care in our communities,” said SCF President Dr. Lars
A. Hafner.
The demand for a BSN program in the region is substantial, Hafner said,
citing research that growth in the aging population calls for highly skilled
nurses in acute and critical care settings, requiring a higher level of
education provided by the baccalaureate degree.
Plans call for starting two cohorts of students in the BSN program in
January 2010, including a cohort offered at SCF’s south Sarasota County
campus located equi-distance from Venice, Englewood and North Port.
“Offering a locally based BSN program will provide working nurses with
high-quality and affordable access to the baccalaureate degree needed
to advance their careers,” said Dr. Bonnie Hesselberg, Dean of Nursing
and Health Professions at SCF.
SCF’s BSN program is designed to benefit working nurses and hospitals’
scheduling needs. The unique approach allows students to focus on one
nursing course every five weeks and progress through the baccalaureate
level degree in 15 months, compared to the usual 24 months required to
complete typical programs.
“This offers a currently employed RN the flexibility to continue working
while focusing on one course at a time in convenient five-week settings,”
Hesselberg said.
More information about the BSN program, including application instructions,
will be available in June on the SCF Web site at scf.edu/4year.
