To support increased student enrollment, aided by PIPELINE funding, the College of Nursing has increased its full-time faculty members by 26 percent.
When UCF College of Nursing begins the new semester today, there will be many new faces in the hallways and classrooms.
Across three UCF campuses in Central Florida, the college will welcome its newest cohort of 236 Traditional BSN students —answering the call to join the profession amid the nursing shortage — and 12 new full-time faculty members. In addition, the college is welcoming back seven full-time faculty members in new roles.
“We’re excited to welcome these new educators and experts to the college,” says Dean Mary Lou Sole. “They bring a rich cohort of knowledge with expertise in specialties such as pediatrics, community health and women’s health.”
In the 2023-24 State of Florida budget, UCF received $7.6 million in reoccurring PIPELINE funding to address the nursing shortage by increasing student enrollment.
With PIPELINE funding, the College of Nursing has increased enrollment by 100 students across all three campuses — including adding a second cohort of Traditional BSN students at the Orlando campus that admits annually in the spring.
The funding has also supported the hiring of much-needed faculty to educate the growing number of nursing students and new staff members to support student success.
“Growing our faculty and staff is critical to continuing our longstanding history of academic excellence, and ensuring the growing number of new Knight nurses are prepared to enter the workforce and provide high quality, compassionate clinical care to our community,” says Sole.
The college will only continue to grow in student enrollment, faculty and staff, with an expected move to a new, state-of-the-art facility at UCF’s Academic Health Sciences Campus in the 2025-26 academic year.
New Faculty Members
- Frances Armstrong, Lecturer
- Fayshonda Cooks, Lecturer
- Jennifer Crook, Assistant Professor
- Jaibun Earp, Visiting Senior Lecturer
- Kelsey Gaffka, Instructor
- Kimberly Scalise, Lecturer
- Sara Snyder, Instructor
- Susan Soderberg, Instructor
- Hannah Spencer, Instructor
- Samantha Stepheson, Lecturer
- Patricia Thielemann, Visiting Senior Lecturer
- Jennie Wagner, Lecturer
New Faculty Roles
- Jenny Garden, Visiting Instructor
- Latonia Green, Lecturer
- Amanda Houston, Lecturer
- Isaiah Moser, Lecturer
- Michelle Tall, Lecturer
- Sara Rose Thornton, Instructor
- Dawn Turnage, Assistant Professor
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