Murray State University secures significant funding to support student scholarships for aspiring healthcare professionals

 

MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State University has secured significant funding to support student scholarships for aspiring healthcare professionals. Through generous support from Baptist Health Paducah, Mercy Health, Jackson Purchase Medical Center, and a match in funding through the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund (HWIF), a total of $640,000 will support nursing student scholarships at Murray State.

Additionally, Murray State was awarded $107,500 by CPE to purchase nursing equipment. 

The Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund was created during the 2023 legislative session. Administered by CPE, the fund is a public-private partnership that provides healthcare training scholarships for Kentucky resident students and offers incentives to reward performance and excellence among healthcare professional programs. Donations from healthcare providers are matched dollar for dollar by the HWIF. The HWIF aims to cultivate a robust healthcare workforce in Kentucky, targeting critical needs among Kentucky’s healthcare professional education and training programs.

“The School of Nursing and Health Professions is thankful for our regional clinical partners, CPE, and the Kentucky General Assembly,” Murray State Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions Dr. Dina Byers said. “This Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund will provide critical financial assistance to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. Additionally, this partnership will enable students to enter the workforce and support our region's healthcare needs.

Students will be able to apply for this special scholarship starting in spring 2026. Selected students must agree to work at one of the selected hospitals upon graduation. The scholarship will assist with covering tuition and fees for those students.”

“Support for nursing scholarships is an investment in our students and in the health of our communities across the region and Commonwealth,” Murray State President Dr. Ron Patterson said. “This generous funding allows us to prepare highly skilled, compassionate nurses who will serve where they are needed most. We are grateful for this investment in our students and the communities they will serve.”

This is an exciting time for Murray State’s School of Nursing and Health Professions. 

Within the past year, the school received a $1,000,000 USDA Health Services Grant to develop a new dental hygiene program as well as a $499,000 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to support Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) clinical education. The school also achieved record enrollment in several programs, including its BSN, family nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesia programs. 

Construction on Murray State’s new School of Nursing and Health Professions Building, Jackson Hall, continues to move forward with an anticipated opening in the Fall 2026 semester. The facility will offer state-of-the-art technology, expanded space for labs, larger classrooms, simulation areas, spaces for student and faculty collaboration and study, as well as the campus health clinic.