News

CDU has been awarded a grant in the amount $650,000 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The goal of the grant is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students from economically, educationally and environmentally disadvantaged backgrounds who enroll full-time in the Mervyn M. Dymally School Of Nursing’s (MMDSON) two-year Entry Level Master of Science in Nursing (ELM) program.

The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) recipients are partially chosen based on their stated commitment to working in primary care and medically underserved communities following graduation as well as on the severity of their financial need. Information sessions have been utilized to recruit students, with emphasis placed on individuals who are both financially disadvantaged and from an underrepresented minority.

This works well with the purpose of the SDS, which is to address and promote diversity among the health professions by transforming the workforce. SDS further capitalizes on CDU’s proven history of successfully recruiting, retaining, and graduating students from minority groups that are underrepresented in health professions.

“The program builds on the University’s established reputation, strengthens existing partnerships, and creates new avenues for recruitment of economically, educationally, or environmentally disadvantaged students — including first-generation college students,” shared CDU Associate Professor Dr. Sharon Cobb, Director, Prelicensure Nursing Programs. “The program will support placement in primary care sites within medically underserved communities in South Los Angeles and beyond.”

The award provides need-based scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds each year, including students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups. So far, 92 students have been recipients of the SDS-funded scholarship. For the next academic year (2022-2023), MMDSON will recruit and provide need-based scholarships to 32 students.