Nursing students work on assignments on Sept. 14 on the first floor of the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion. The approved funding for Linking Industry to Nursing Education will be put towards UCF’s nursing program.
Kaitlyn Clarke
The Board of Governors approved $6 million on Sept. 3 for the Linking Industry to Nursing Education fund to be distributed to participating universities during the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
The Florida Legislature created the LINE fund in 2022 as a competitive grant program matching dollar-for-dollar to university nursing programs that partner with local healthcare providers, according to the State University System of Florida. This year’s donations will be split among 10 state universities, including UCF.
The approved funding will be implemented in spring 2027, according to an email from Margot Winick, UCF’s director of media relations. The donations aim to expand participating nursing program capacities by nearly 1,000 students and create more than 2,100 nursing scholarships, according to the SUS’s website.
“Investment from healthcare providers is a significant component of the LINE program,” Winick said.
A 2021 analysis by the Florida Hospital Association shows Florida is projected to face a shortage of 59,100 nurses by 2035.
The Florida Department of Education’s website states that the LINE fund aims to combat the state’s growing nursing shortage. By incentivizing collaboration between nursing students and healthcare providers, the LINE fund helps meet local, regional and statewide demand for nurses, according to the SUS’s website.
“With the higher influx of students coming to the Lake Nona-Orlando area, they can instantly be hired in the hospitals nearby to combat that shortage,” sophomore nursing major William Huk said.
Winick said that because of the LINE fund, more students will get a shot at participating in UCF’s nursing program, and those already in it will benefit from new equipment, faculty recruitment and simulation centers.
“Just having newer technology would benefit all of us,” junior nursing major Jordan Ayoub said. “Nursing school is really expensive.”
With the LINE program providing new opportunities to UCF’s current and future nursing students, the number of newly licensed and eligible nurses entering the profession will increase, Winick said.
“With the better financial access to those partnerships, there’s a greater interconnectedness between the hospitals and the program,” said Huk.
“We are thankful for the State of Florida’s continuous investment in nursing education at the University of Central Florida,” College of Nursing Dean Sharon Tucker said in an email. “Together we are strengthening a workforce of highly skilled, compassionate providers our communities need today and in the future.”