Stillman College received a grant in the amount of $90,095 awarded from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Service Administration for 2010-2011.

The award came from The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Program. The SDS Program was established via the Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Act of 1990, Section 737 of the Public Health Service Act.

Principal investigator of the grant, Dr. Linda Forte’, Director & Chair of the Department of Nursing, said, “One of the aims of the Department of Nursing at Stillman is to provide opportunities for disadvantaged individuals to be able to be accepted into and complete a baccalaureate degree in a professional school of nursing.”  

The purpose of the SDS Program is to cultivate increased diversity in health professions and the nursing workforce by providing grants to eligible health professionals and nursing schools for use in awarding scholarships to financially needy students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of these students are from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds and will help diversify the health workforce to ensure culturally effective care and reduce health disparities.

Forte’ said, “Due to their disadvantaged backgrounds, nursing students work greater than 40 hours per week to finance their education and living expenses while carrying 12 or more hours of coursework. These scholarship funds will enable senior and junior nursing students in particular, as well as freshmen and sophomore students, to pay for books, standardized nursing testing fees, liability insurance, background checks, uniforms and other items that are not covered by funds received otherwise. “

The SDS Program addresses a major obstacle in the educational path of many students on the way to a career in a health profession, the cost. Many students are unable to finish their education due to the high cost of pursuing it. Also, many students’ academic pursuits are interrupted due to costs. The SDS attempts to remedy this problem through scholarships.

When allocating grant awards, priority is given to students of “disadvantaged background,” meaning the student: 1.) Comes from an environment that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions or nursing school; or 2.) Comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low-income thresholds according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of Census, adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in health professions and nursing programs.

Grant funds will be used to allocate scholarships to Stillman students that meet the criteria and are nursing students.