ENGAGE
The Encouraging Nurse Guidance and Governance for Equity (ENGAGE) grant is a federally funded (HRSA) program through to increase nursing workforce diversity through better understanding the effect of students’ background, goals, lifestyle, and social support on their level of persistence and post-graduation outcomes. Holistic admissions, faculty training to support culturally diverse students, and over $700,000 in student financial support are among the many student-centered initiatives in this grant.
Meet the ENGAGE team:
Dr. Penny Weismuller, Project Director: Responsible for the overall supervision of the grant activities, including the provision of funds and reporting. Dr. Weismuller ensures that the grant activities meet the aforementioned goals and objectives of this HRSA Workforce Diversity Grant and are transparent, and "on target" through active communication with faculty, staff, students, administration, and HRSA.
Dr. Stephanie Vaughn, Transition and Program Integration Coordinator: Responsible for the transition from EMBRACE to ENGAGE to ensure ongoing student support resources; these resources are evaluated through quality improvement processes to determine efficacy of current interventions and to identify the need for additional support.
Dr. Sharrica Miller, Student Diversity, Engagement, and Support Coordinator: Responsible for the leading and implementing initiatives to create a more diverse and inclusive environment for the students, faculty, and staff in the SON
Dr. Kristina Fortes, Data, Recruitment, and Scholarship Coordinator: Responsible for data collection, management, evaluation and scholarship coordination; she also is integral to the holistic admissions process.
Dr. Hannah Fraley, Faculty Support for Retention and Success Coordinator: Responsible for leading and implementing innovative faculty support initiatives to assist faculty with curriculum development and the creation of effective teaching and testing strategies for diverse students.
Dr. Jutara Srivali-Teal, Nurse Coach: Responsible for the implementation of individual and group strategies to reduce anxiety, stress, and promote life balance among nursing students.
Dr. Kathleen Preston, Data Evaluation Coordinator: Responsible for data management, analysis, and interpretation; will also assist in the dissemination of data that highlight project outcomes, including supporting the conceptualized model that serves as a framework for ENGAGE.
Academic Writing Coach: Responsible for the Writing Center and the volunteer tutors; uses multimodal tutoring strategies to address diverse learning needs in the development of students' writing skills. Position is currently vacant.
ENGAGE Objectives:
1. Create new diversity student recruitment strategies with input from a newly formed SON community based group, Community Partners for Social Equity.
2. Employ an integrated approach to student support interventions( e.g. mentoring, nurse coaching, writing assistance, peer tutoring, varied class experiences) to reduce stressors in the diverse student community that can impact their academic success.
3. Hire and retain diverse faculty through bias free recruitment and mentorship/support for faculty success in the tenure journey.
4. Distribute $770, 000 in financial aid to three hundred nursing student particpants who meet HRSA eligibility requirments and have financial needs.
As the School of Nursing Career Coach, Ronnie Sue Henderson is available to assist students in a wide range of career related skills including resume preparation, writing cover letters, job searching and application processes, testing assessments other than NCLEX, developing and indicating references, interview preparation, interview follow-up approaches, and more.
As the Nurse Coach, Dr. Teal is available to assist students in finding the resources they need to be successful at CSU Fullerton. Students should contact Dr. Teal for help addressing challenges they are facing including finding a balance between school and life, dealing with tough patient situations, financial concerns and food insecurity, confronting family challenges, or exploring what is the best choice for them right now. She can also connect students to University and community resources to address other needs.
The Peer Mentor Program promotes meaningful and successful college experiences by building partnerships between students. Trained peer mentors collaborate with their mentees to access resources, build support in facing obstacles, and achieve mutually constructed academic goals.
The ENGAGE Nursing Student Scholarships have been established through the ENGAGE grant. The scholarships will be awarded in both the Fall and Spring semesters to eligible students who meet the following criteria and provide demographic data, complete questionnaires, and use SON resources.
The School of Nursing has partnered with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI&) to provide writing assistance for our students. The volunteer tutors are retired professionals who are willing to give their time and expertise.