Initial and Renewal awards
for the 2012-2013 academic year will be made in late
September 2012
Please see instructions
below for the online
application for academic year 2012-2013.
The purpose of the Nurse Support Program II (NSP II) is to
increase the number of qualified bedside nurses in Maryland
hospitals through Statewide Initiatives administered by the
Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) on behalf of the
Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC). The Graduate
Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living Expenses Grant Program is
one of the Statewide Initiatives funded by the HSCRC through the
NSP II. This financial aid program is jointly administered by
the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) and Office of
Outreach and Grants Management at MHEC.
An individual must be a Maryland resident and be enrolled at a
Maryland college or university as a full-time or part-time
graduate student in a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN)
program, post-graduate certificate program in nursing education,
Doctorate (PhD, DNP, EdD) program or another graduate-level
nursing program required to prepare the individual to become
nursing faculty. Audited courses cannot be used to reach the
credit hours required for full-time or part-time status. The
Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship is not based on need.
Tuition coverage is the primary purpose and Scholarship awards
are funded before Grants are awarded.
To be eligible for a Living Expenses Grant, an applicant must be
offered and accept a Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and
show need for the Grant through submission of financial
documents. Grant awards are subject to the availability of funds
and not all eligible applicants may receive an award.
An applicant must provide documentation of sponsorship by a
nursing school in Maryland. The nursing school sponsoring the
graduate nurse applicant is responsible for providing mentors
and incorporating the graduate nurse applicant into its campus
faculty culture. The sponsoring nursing school must also provide
career counseling and assistance with placement as a faculty
member at its institution or another nursing school in the
State.
The Hal and Jo Cohen Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship is equal to tuition
and
mandatory fees.
Living Expenses Grant award amounts will be
based on need and may not exceed the maximum of $25,000 per
academic year ($12,500 per semester) for full-time
recipients and will be prorated for part-time recipients.
The maximum total award amount is $50,000 over four years.
If a recipient is receiving any type of stipend, salary
supplement, and/or other financial assistance for living
expenses, it may be deducted from the Living Expenses Grant award total.
To qualify for the Living Expenses Grant awards, an
applicant’s annual gross income may not exceed $75,000. If
the applicant is married, the applicant’s annual gross
income may not exceed $75,000 and the couple’s combined
annual gross income may not exceed $160,000. Grant awards
are subject to the availability of funds and not all
eligible applicants may receive an award. An applicant must
submit a status change form to request consideration for the
Living Expenses Grant.
An applicant must complete and submit the
online application for
the Hal and Jo Cohen Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living Expenses
Grant and all required documentation to OSFA by the
deadlines stated below.
When to apply:
Completed applications are required before
July 1 to start in the fall
semester, by
December 1 to start in the spring
semester, and prior to
April 1
to start in the summer
semester.
To apply for the 2012-2013 academic year, please go to:
https://mdcaps.mhec.state.md.us
If you have not
already done so, you will be required to create a user id
and password. You will then be sent an email with an
activation link. You MUST activate your account prior to
logging in to your account. You will then be able to apply
online for programs, as well as check the status of your
application.
All applicants must provide: a completed
Hal and Jo Cohen Graduate Nursing
Faculty Scholarship application through MD CAPS; an official
transcript from all institutions the applicant
attended for any registered nursing programs and graduate
nursing programs; a sponsorship form signed by the dean or
director of the Maryland nursing school sponsoring the
applicant, along with a mentoring plan to include the plan of study
and agreed upon faculty preparation; and to be considered
for the Living Expenses Grant, a copy of the applicant’s
most recent Maryland tax return.
Priority will be given to recipients who are: 1) participating
in NSP II Competitive Institutional Grant projects, or 2)
enrolled in accelerated programs and programs that prepare
faculty for positions that have historically been difficult to
fill or are deemed critical to nursing faculty infrastructure at
Maryland nursing programs. To produce nursing faculty as
expeditiously as possible, preference will be given to students
pursuing full-time graduate study in both priority areas above.
Applicants who do not fall into one of the two priority areas
will be ranked by grade point average (GPA) and awarded as long
as funds remain available.
The Hal and Jo Cohen Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship award amount on the
award notification is an estimate based on the reported
enrollment plan from the student’s application. The award will
be adjusted by the recipient’s institution to reflect the actual
dollar amount of tuition and mandatory fees per semester. The
Living Expenses Grant award will be distributed directly to the
recipient after the institution has confirmed enrollment through
the billing roster process and all Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarships are awarded.
The Hal and Jo Cohen Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship award is given priority
and automatically renewed for up to three additional years if
the recipient meets the following criteria:
1. is a Maryland resident;
2. remains enrolled in an eligible nursing program;
3. maintains a 3.0 annual grade point average on a 4.0 grade
point average scale; and
4. maintains satisfactory academic progress according to the
institution's standards
Scholarship awards are automatically renewed for the full term
of approved study provided all eligibility requirements are
fulfilled.
Living Expenses Grant awards are made for one year and may be
renewed for up to three additional years until the maximum total
award limit of $50,000 is reached, provided the recipient
continues to hold the Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and
continues to meet eligibility requirements. Award amounts are
subject to change in accordance with available funds. Eligible
applicants who are not funded initially will be placed on a
waiting list. Funds may not be available to award all eligible
students.
An annual update on the mentoring plan should include program
progress, and any change in the plan of study is required at the
completion of each academic year.
A recipient who is academically ineligible will forfeit the
Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living Expenses Grant
award. If funds are available, the Scholarship and Grant may be
reinstated upon proof that the recipient achieved a 3.0 grade
point average in the fall or spring semesters in the academic
year following the cancellation of the award. Courses taken in
summer school may be considered in calculating annual grade
point average.
A recipient must sign a service obligation agreement and
promissory note affirming that the recipient will serve as a
nurse faculty at a Maryland institution with nursing degree
programs by doing the following:
1. work two years as a full-time nurse faculty member for each
year the award was received when enrolled full-time; or,
2. work one and one-half years as a full-time nurse faculty
member for each year the award was received when enrolled
part-time.
Individuals fulfilling their service obligations as a part-time
nurse faculty member must work two years for each year of their
full-time employment obligation. Full-time employment is defined
as 35 or more hours per week or a contract for 12 or more
academic credit hours per semester in didactic instruction.
Part-time employment is defined as 20-34 hours per week or a
contract for less than 12 academic credit hours in didactic
instruction or a clinical instruction contract for less than 12
contact hours or combination of less than 12 academic credit
and/or contact hours per semester.
Service must begin within six months of graduation. A recipient
must meet the recipient’s service obligation at any Maryland
institution granting nursing degrees and is not required to work
at the sponsoring institution. If the service obligation is not
met, the Graduate Nursing Faculty award must be repaid with
interest. If the Scholarship is held with any other award
requiring a service obligation, the service must be performed in
consecutive years.
A recipient will be required to repay the Graduate Nursing
Faculty Scholarship if the recipient: has the award revoked;
fails to receive the appropriate degree, diploma or certificate
at program completion; fails to become licensed or certified as
required; has a license or certification revoked during the
period of service obligation; fails to complete the annual
questionnaire on performance of service obligation; fails to
perform the required service for the required amount of time; or
otherwise fails to carry out the obligations of the Scholarship.
Interest charged on the funds advanced is at an interest rate
equal to and matching the interest rate established by the
United States Department of Education for the Federal Stafford
Loan on the first day of July of each year, with interest not
accruing prior to notification to the Commission of a
recipient’s graduation or termination from an institution of
higher education. The repayment schedule is established by OSFA,
and payment must be completed within 6 years after repayment
begins.
A recipient is required to seek employment aggressively in
all
regions of the State in which eligible employment opportunities
exist in the eligible fields. A recipient may receive a
deferment during the time the recipient is: on a temporary leave
of absence approved by the employer or OSFA from full-time
employment in the required employment field; temporarily totally
disabled, for a period not to exceed three years; unable to
secure employment, for a period not to exceed twelve months by
reason of the care required by a spouse or child who is
disabled; seeking and unable to find full-time employment for a
single period not to exceed twelve months; an individual
assigned military duty outside of the State, not to exceed three
years without filing an appeal; or the spouse of an individual
assigned military duty outside of the State, not to exceed three
years without filing an appeal; or completing additional
approved educational programs or post-doctoral fellowships.
To qualify for any of the deferments a recipient shall notify
OSFA, and the Central Collection Unit if the repayment period has
begun, of the recipient's claim for the deferment and provide
supporting documentation. Such documentation shall consist of:
1) certification by the employer that the recipient is on a
temporary approved leave of absence from the required
employment; or
2) a sworn affidavit of a qualified physician that the
recipient is temporarily totally disabled; or
3) a sworn affidavit of
a qualified physician if the recipient is unable to find
employment by reason of the care required by spouse or child who
is disabled; or
4) a certified statement including a list of possible
employers with their addresses and telephone numbers to which
application for employment has been made if the recipient is
seeking and unable to find full-time employment; or
5) a copy of
military orders; or
6) documentation of approved educational
programs or post-doctoral fellowships.
OSFA shall review all documentation to determine whether the
deferment conditions have been met and, if so, for what time
periods. Before a deferment based on inability to find
employment in the eligible field is granted, OSFA will review
the submitted documentation and any other information available
for evidence that the recipient has sought employment
aggressively in all regions of the State in which eligible
employment opportunities exist in the eligible fields. OSFA
shall review appeals on a case-by-case basis from individuals
assigned to military duty outside the State, or the spouse of an
individual assigned to military duty outside the State that
exceeds the three year deferral limit. Appeals must be in
writing and include a copy of the military orders. During the
time a recipient qualifies for any of the deferments described,
the recipient need not make the scholarship repayments and the
interest does not accrue.
OSFA shall waive a recipient's Scholarship repayment
obligations if it determines
on the basis of a sworn affidavit of a qualified physician, that
the recipient is unable to perform the service obligation on a
full-time basis because of an impairment that is expected to
continue indefinitely or result in death; or, on the basis of a
death certificate or other evidence of death that is conclusive
under State law that the recipient has died.
CONDITIONS OF AWARD (TO BE DISPLAYED SOON)
SERVICE
OBLIGATION QUESTIONNAIRE
2012-2013 Service Obligation Questionnaire Form
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November 14, 2011,
our new address is 6
N. Liberty St., Baltimore, MD 21201 | Phone: (410)
767-3301 | Toll Free: (800) 974-0203
