Tipp City Foundation helps nursing program grow
Edison State Community College continues to grow its nursing program with the assistance of supporters including the Tipp City Foundation.
Last month, the foundation awarded the second payment toward a $25,000 five-year grant to the college. The grant supports the Registered Nursing (RN) program and the physical expansion of the building where the new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program will be housed.
The support is based on the need of area employers for more employees with RN skills who will earn sustainable incomes. “Our community is then enriched because health care employers are better equipped to serve us, the public,” said Richard Bender, Foundation president.
In addition to the building addition, funding will be used to support continuation and growth of the RN to BSN program, said Bruce McKenzie, of the Edison State Community College marketing department.
“The new/renovated space will provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for the next generation of nurses in our region. The college will be increasing the classroom and lab spaces currently available to the nursing programs, and this increased square footage will allow for additional classroom space that will enable the college to increase the number of students in the nursing programs,” McKenzie said.
The expansion will allow for 40 more associate degrees and provide capacity to graduate 60 students per 18-month cohort from the new bachelor’s in nursing degree program, McKenzie said.
The nursing addition is expected to be completed in the 2026-2027 academic year. The building expansion also will provide versatile classroom space and storage space. Groundbreaking for the BSN addition will be held soon. So far, $4 million has been raised toward the overall $4.5 million projected cost.
Among students served by the Edison nursing program are those from Bethel Township and Tipp City. While numbers vary from semester to semester, there has been a steady increase in students from those areas during the past five years, McKenzie said.
The need for the expanded program is apparent, he said, pointing to information from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation’s list of Ohio’s Top Jobs. The list shows Registered Nurses and health aides as the top professions for expected growth in the state as well as in this region.
“From the completion of clinical learning experiences to full-time employment opportunities, the vast majority of our graduates serve in agencies across the upper Miami Valley. All agencies can benefit from the expanded spaces that will increase capacity for enrollments and increase job applicants for open positions in a time of healthcare personnel shortages,” McKenzie said. “The space could also be used by local healthcare agencies to conduct continuing education training.”