LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 7, 2006) — Florida Southern College has received a grant from the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation to launch the Nurse Educator Curriculum Track within the college’s Master of Science in Nursing program. Graduates from this program will play a critical role in easing the nurse faculty shortage in central Florida.

Florida Southern currently offers registered nurses a Master of Science (M.S.) degree that prepares them to become clinical nurse specialists (CNS). Students in the Nurse Educator Track will complete additional coursework in curriculum design, test development and practicum teaching.  Graduates will be prepared for certification as nurse educators and to serve in both academic and clinical settings.

“Thousands of qualified applicants each year are denied admission to nursing schools in Florida solely because of lack of faculty,” said Mavra Kear, chair and associate professor of nursing at FSC. “By graduating qualified instructors, the Nurse Educator Track will directly address the nation’s critical shortage of nurses.”

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.