The investment by the State of Florida will help UCF College of Nursing grow a Knight nurse workforce to help address the nursing shortage.
Today Florida’s governor signed the 2023-24 state budget, which includes more than $22 million in funding for UCF’s College of Nursing to help address the nursing shortage.
The state’s investment is allocated for two priority areas:
- $7.6 million in PIPELINE funding to address the nursing shortage — the largest allocation within the State University System and an increase from last year.
- $14.78 million toward the new building at Lake Nona. This is in addition to the $29 million allocated in last year’s budget.
“We are thankful for the Florida Legislature’s and community donors’ support of our efforts to educate much-needed nursing providers, leaders and educators. More Knight nurses are needed to care for current and future Floridians, to teach the next generation of nurses, and to advance nursing science to ensure a healthier future for all.”
Dean Mary Lou Sole
Over the last year, PIPELINE funding has allowed UCF to increase nursing enrollment by an additional 100 undergraduate students across three campuses. The funding also allowed the college to add much-needed new faculty to educate more students and new staff to support student success.
While PIPELINE funding has been critical to helping address the shortage in the immediate, short term, UCF is limited in capacity in its current building. Long term, the new building at Lake Nona, which is double the current space, will allow UCF to make a greater impact on the nursing pipeline and ultimately, a greater impact on the health of communities.
Thanks to the additional state funding, as well as private support from founding donors, UCF is moving closer to breaking ground on the state-of-the-art building. The university expects to complete its aggressive private fundraising campaign for the building’s construction later this summer.
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