A new $2.2 million grant from the Colorado Health Foundation will enable nursing students to take classes at their local community colleges and online through a partnership with University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Many classes will be offered in real time using Cisco Telepresence conferencing technology to connect distance learners to UCCS via high-definition video and other interactive features.
The newly created Southern Colorado Rural Nursing Education and Practice Collaborative will help students earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a degree not currently offered through the community college system. The new partnership aims to increase the number of nursing professionals serving rural Southern Colorado and will be offered at Lamar Community College, Otero Junior College, Pikes Peak Community College, Pueblo Community College and Trinidad State Junior College.