As part of Mennonite College of Nursing’s mission to educate more nurses, the college is striving to improve diversity in its student body, specifically increasing the number of students from underrepresented groups and those with economically disadvantaged backgrounds. To attract and keep more students from these key populations, MCN wanted a way to offer enhanced community and increased support for these students in the nursing program.
“A sense of belonging and the tools to excel are an essential part of the learning experience,” said Cates Corwin, academic enhancement specialist for PROUD (Pre-entry and Retention Opportunities for Undergraduate Diversity).
With this knowledge in mind, a little over five years ago, MCN applied for and received a four-year, $2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and U.S. Department of Health. From this grant, the PROUD program was born.
“Everyone embraced the program instantly,” said Corwin. “And it worked. We can see this in different ways throughout the program’s five years.”
PROUD aimed to attract and retain nursing students from different backgrounds by providing: academic and peer support, mentoring and leadership opportunities, professional development activities, and financial support for qualifying students.
Although the PROUD grant was scheduled to end on June 30, 2021, MCN received a no-cost extension for a fifth year of funding, which meant the financial support could continue until June 30, 2022.
“A sense of belonging and the tools to excel are an essential part of the learning experience.”
Cates Corwin
Though the grant funding has now ended, MCN celebrates PROUD’s successes. From 2018–2022, there were approximately 150 PROUD graduates, and, collectively, those graduates had a 99% pass rate on NCLEX, the licensure exam to become a nurse.
“The whole program was a highlight,” says Corwin. “Our students participated in academic enhancement activities weekly. They attended bimonthly educational events enhancing their knowledge and comprehension of diversity issues on our campus, in our community, and globally. Our students were active participants in service-learning activities sponsored by ISU and often assumed leadership roles. The PROUD students were supportive of each other academically, personally, and professionally. I feel so honored to have been the Academic Enhancement Specialist for the PROUD program and cherished my time with each of them each day of each week.”
Following the success of PROUD, MCN plans to continue many of its offerings, such as tutoring, mentoring, social programming, and more, in the college’s student success plan.
To learn more about diversity initiatives at MCN or to explore our nursing programs, visit Nursing.IllinoisState.edu.
