SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) has awarded 76 nurse educator fellowships, totaling $760,000, for fiscal year 2024 across the state. The awarded fellowships will help retain well-qualified nursing faculty at institutions of higher education that award degrees that lead to a registered nurse licensure. Retaining qualified nursing faculty will help ensure that nursing students are prepared to enter the workforce and fill a shortage in a critical area of the healthcare workforce. The number of grants awarded nearly doubled from the previous fiscal year due to an increase in funds in Governor JB Pritzker’s fiscal year 2024 budget supported by the General Assembly.
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“We are glad Governor JB Pritzker and the General Assembly continue to support the nurse educator fellowships through funding as they are an important strategy in the state’s higher education strategic plan to achieve a thriving Illinois,” said IBHE Executive Director Ginger Ostro. “The nurse educator fellows are crucial in helping meet the healthcare workforce needs in our state, and we are committed to continuing working with the institutions to close equity gaps.”
Fellowships were awarded to nurse educators with strong commitments to use fellowship funds to enhance their professional practice in their area of specialty and remain in higher education. Each fellowship is $10,000, and the funds are salary supplements that may be used for expenses related to professional development and continuing education to enhance the fellow’s practice as a nurse educator, as well as the fellow's nursing program. This year’s fellows are focusing their fellowship funds on nursing simulation training and instructional development; diversity, equity and inclusion training; development of new curriculum, teaching methods, and research; earning professional certifications and advanced degrees; and attending professional conferences for nurse educators.
Below is the complete list of nurse educator fellowship recipients.
Fellow | Institution | |
Carolyn | Mistal | Ambria College of Nursing |
Susan | Cimino | Ambria College of Nursing |
Jamie | Tabrizi | Aurora University |
Christina | Cicero | Aurora University |
Thomas | Kunstbeck | Aurora University |
Joan | Batres | Chamberlain University |
Michelle | Sadko | Chamberlain University |
Lissette | Mondragon | Chamberlain University |
Colleen | Milburn | College of Lake County |
Ravinal | Roque | College of Lake County |
Stephanie | Byrd | DePaul University |
Kashica | Webber-Ritchey | DePaul University |
Jonathan | Uebelhor | Dominican University |
Lindsay | Roberts | Eastern Illinois University |
Nicole | Zeller | Eastern Illinois University |
Lisa | Hodson | Elgin Community College |
Jennifer | Caringella | Elmhurst University |
Jessica | Lamberson | Elmhurst University |
Sara | Hollenstain | Heartland Community College |
Crystal | Reynolds | Heartland Community College |
Susana | Calderon | Illinois State University |
Kelly | Rosecrans | Illinois State University |
Cherrill | Stockmann | Illinois State University |
Cathy | Lenkaitis | Illinois Valley Community College |
Stephanie | Moore | Illinois Wesleyan |
Shelby | Guthrie | Kaskaskia College |
Katy | Knolhof | Kaskaskia College |
Tarah | Haskenherm | Lake Land College |
Katelyn | Bloemer | Lake Land College |
Jennifer | Bosworth | Lewis University |
Cynthia | Hinojosa | Lewis University |
Jeanine | Haberman | Lewis University |
Joi | Kazenski | Lincoln Land Community College |
Casey | Hoenes | Lincoln Land Community College |
Eric | Zack | Loyola University |
Tracey | Hosack-Bartnick | Loyola University |
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Loyola University |
Ines | Guillen | Malcolm X College |
Dawn | Wilson | Malcolm X College |
Theresa | Schwindenhammer | Methodist College |
Taylor | Rogy | Methodist College |
Audra | Trump | Millikin University |
Angela | Lafrenz | Millikin University |
Kelly | Slade | Millikin University |
Jacinda | Ross | Moraine Valley Community College |
Kelli | Nickols | Moraine Valley Community College |
Alicia | Cardona | Morton College |
Julianne | Herrmann | Morton College |
Kristina | King | North Park University |
Janna | Woodard | Northern Illinois University |
Anitha | Saravanan | Northern Illinois University |
Alyse | Flury | Northern Illinois University |
Teresa | Kirwan | Oakton College |
Danielle | Coleman | Prairie State College |
Karen | Black-Vetter | Rockford University |
Caryn | Ruzic | Rockford University |
Tristan | Banks | Rush University College of Nursing |
Nancy | Bailey | Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing |
Bettianne | Casper | Saint John's College of Nursing |
Cheryl | Pope | Saint John's College of Nursing |
Courtenay | Vihtelic | Saint Xavier University |
Erica | Blumenstock | Southern Illinois University Carbondale |
Debra | Penrod | Southern Illinois University Carbondale |
Amy | Kief | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville |
Devon | Bennett | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville |
Amy | Reed | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville |
Karla | Arnotti | Southwestern Illinois College |
Misty | Dickey | Southwestern Illinois College |
Tina | Decker | Trinity Christian College |
Pamela | Smith | University of Illinois Chicago |
Dawn | Sarginson | University of Illinois Chicago |
Amy | Johnson | University of Illinois Chicago |
Tracy | Limbrunner | Waubonsee Community College |
Sharon | Erickson | Waubonsee Community College |
Kaila | Fox | Western Illinois University |
Ashley | Frederick | Western Illinois University |
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