Increasing the number of nursing faculty: Evaluation of a university system workforce grant

The University of Wisconsin System Incentive Grant, Nurses for Wisconsin: Learn, Teach, Lead (N4WI) was a workforce initiative to address the nursing faculty shortage at four universities and included funding nurses to their terminal degree, postdoctoral fellowships, and loan forgiveness for faculty hires. It also included professional development opportunities for awardees. The purpose of the article is to disseminate the evaluation of N4WI and discuss the impact of the project. Methods of evaluation included assessment of data points as well as qualitative information. N4WI was successful in achieving its goal of increasing nursing faculty applicants and hires at the respective schools with total awardees numbering 54. As a result of N4WI and using it as a template, nursing organizations within the state collaborated to successfully pursue state funding to grow nursing faculty called Wisconsin Nurse Educator Program to benefit the 44 nursing programs in Wisconsin. •Outcome of Nurses for Wisconsin was 54 awardees to grow the number of nursing faculty.•Project included focused marketing strategies and comprehensive communication plan.•Strong professional development opportunities increased awardees’ teaching knowledge.•Grant activities enhanced the relationship between nursing program deans.•Project success led to state-wide funding to address the nursing faculty shortage.