The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith will double its nursing program after a $9.9 million donation, it said Oct. 2.
The expansion will occur in two phases. The first, using an initial investment of $4 million, will allow the university to hire 27 additional faculty members and serve 200 more students. The second will consist of the university adding two degrees.
"This gift has created a new beginning for nursing at UAFS, allowing us to address one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime, access to health care, by educating and training the registered nurses our community and our region so desperately need," said Paula Julian, MD, executive director of the Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing.