FSCJ Receives Grant from Bank of America to Serve A.S. Nursing Students

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Bank of America to fund the Bank of America Nursing 2-1-1 Project which will pilot an evidence-based model to address social, health and financial needs for low-income students within the Associate in Science in Nursing (A.S.) program. As part of the project, FSCJ will hire a dedicated nursing advisor to help bring education and workforce opportunities to students.

The personalized mobile, virtual and in-person “wrap around system of care" is expected to support degree completion by providing guidance with comprehensive non-academic services such as food, childcare, transportation, health care, financial counseling, legal aid and more.

“With more than 60% of our nursing students attending with financial and need-based barriers, we are excited to partner with Bank of America to provide services to assist in degree completion and employment success,” said FSCJ Interim President Kevin Hyde. “Connecting our students with resources and a dedicated advisor will ensure they face as few obstacles as possible to achieve success in our program.”

The grant will support the following initiatives during the 2018-19 project period:

• Serve 45 A.S. nursing students with individual care plans (inclusive of referrals and completed scholarship applications)
• Develop a database of nonprofit and other community organizations to cultivate relationships and services offered/provided
• Host an on-campus service provider event with local health and human service organizations to provide workshops specifically for the A.S. Nursing students, such as SNAP benefits access, United Way’s Real$ense free tax filing and financial education workshops, etc.
• Host an on-campus resource workshop to facilitate on-campus connections with College representatives from areas such as Financial Aid, Career Development, Library and Learning Commons, Diversity and Social Change and Student Life and Leadership. The workshop will have a concentrated time for the Nursing Advisor to meet with students and help them complete applications for scholarships and emergency assistance – including the HRSA-funded Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students and the Skelly Emergency Fund specifically for A.S. Nursing students.

About FSCJ

Known as “the community’s college,” Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) exists to provide valuable, high quality learning opportunities to anyone with the desire to enhance themselves through the pursuit of higher education. Serving more than 50,000 students and awarding more than 7,800 degrees and certificates on an annual basis, the College plays a significant role in supplying the region’s employers with a highly skilled, educated workforce.

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