A significant expansion and strengthening of nursing programs at Macon State is slated to begin this fall, thanks to a University System budget allocation tied to the Complete College Georgia initiative.

Macon State’s efforts are part of ongoing work by Georgia's public colleges and universities under this initiative to increase college completion rates. These efforts will get a boost in the upcoming year with $72.5 million in new funds approved by Gov. Nathan Deal and the General Assembly. As a result, all 35 institutions will receive new funding to strengthen programs serving the system’s almost 320,000 students and broaden educational opportunities.

Also as part of the initiative, Macon State will seek to boost student retention through the recruitment of liberal arts faculty members who will have a special focus on “core teaching excellence.”  As teaching faculty fellows, they will invest most of their time in helping freshmen succeed, thus making it more likely those students will stay in college and complete bachelor’s degrees.

“Expanding our nursing programs and strengthening core teaching are both top priorities for Macon State, and this funding will go a long way in helping us achieve those goals,” said Dr. Martha Venn, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “It will also have a positive impact on Middle Georgia State College, the institution that is about to be created through the consolidation of Macon State and Middle Georgia College.”

Macon State will receive $326,500 for the core teaching excellence initiative. With that funding, the college will hire six new faculty in history, political science, natural sciences and the arts who will be part of a teaching faculty fellows program.

Venn said the program is designed to elevate the status of core teaching and help the faculty members focus intently on freshman success. Freshmen who succeed academically and interact more with faculty are far less likely to drop out of college.

The college will receive $452,000 to hire five new nursing faculty, which means Macon State will be able to admit more cohorts of students into its associate degree program in nursing and make it easier for them, once they are practicing RNs, earn a bachelor’s through the RN-BSN program. The RN-BSN program will be able to expand online course offerings.

Dr. Rebecca Corvey, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said both program expansions will impact Macon State’s primary service areas of Macon and Warner Robins and, once the college is consolidated with Middle Georgia College, will reach into Dublin and Cochran.

“In my 10 years here I can’t recall a time when we’ve been able to hire this many new nursing faculty at once,” Corvey said. “It really shows the commitment the Board of Regents has to producing more RNs for the state, especially RNs who go on to earn bachelor’s degrees.”

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