Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington (Ind.) has received a gift from Bloomington philanthropists Connie and Steve Ferguson to expand its nursing programs, part of a broader effort with Indianapolis-based IU Health to strengthen Indiana’s nursing workforce.
The gift, combined with a $10 million investment from IU Health, establishes the Connie & Steve Ferguson Nursing Expansion Endowment to support the Lee J. Marchant School of Nursing at Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus, as well as the South Region Nursing Scholarship Endowment to support the IU Health Nursing Scholar Program in the South Region, according to a March 2 joint news release.
The investment builds on an evening and weekend clinical training model at Ivy Tech Bloomington designed to expand capacity beyond traditional daytime hours and maximize existing resources, according to the release.
The initiative aims to increase the number of nurses trained and expand clinical opportunities in the region. Indiana has approximately 4,300 nursing job openings each year and is projected to need an additional 5,000 nurses by 2031 to meet the growing demands of an aging population, according to the Indiana Hospital Association.
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution. IU Health, Indiana’s largest health system, has more than 39,000 employees across dozens of facilities statewide, according to its website.
The investment comes as IU Health consolidates regions and integrates hospital operations as part of its efforts to standardize care delivery and strengthen its long-term financial picture.
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