Many CON faculty members are retiring. We need to recruit new faculty for our locations on the main campus and around the state. These clinical instructors are a critical part of the student experience; they teach and supervise students in real-world environments and ensure the students are delivering quality care.  

We also want to retain our existing faculty and reward those who stay and continue to work through the shortage. For many of these faculty, the shortage means increasing their workload or taking on more students than they typically would.  

By adding professorships and endowed chairs, CON can attract top-tier faculty to not only instruct, but also to research. Funding in this area also will provide incentives for a current faculty member to continue their research at CON. We also need to cultivate new faculty by encouraging nursing students to pursue PhDs and join the faculty. 

$10 million in philanthropic support will enable us to reach these important goals. 

UNM is the only R1 university in New Mexico. This prestigious designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education denotes a very high level of research activity. For CON, the R1 designation demonstrates our ability to lead research that will improve the quality and delivery of healthcare in the state, as well as the breadth and versatility of the nursing field. We aim to become recognized as a Nursing Research-Intensive College. 

$2 million in philanthropic support can support and augment the following research activities at CON: 

• Doctor of Nursing Practice students complete a practice-oriented Scholarly Project that involves the identification and resolution of a practice problem through the scholarship of application. All Scholarly Projects require practice inquiry and are grounded in a specific practice setting with a specific population. Students often find their projects cost more than expected.  

• PhD students conduct independent research culminating in a dissertation, during which they develop expertise relative to a specific population, setting, or human response to health or illness. Research foci generally align with faculty areas of expertise. The graduate student’s chosen area of focus prepares them to enter the tenure track or work in the healthcare industry as a nurse scientist. We encourage PhD students to publish peer-reviewed articles and present their research at professional conferences.  

• Faculty host rigorous research programs aimed at advancing nursing science and practice. CON is home to four main research areas: Rural health, health policy and public health, data science, and biobehavioral health. Our faculty’s interests share a common vision: To develop solutions for the most important nursing challenges pertaining to human health and health equity. 

With funding support for and production of high-quality research, CON can enhance its output of innovative healthcare, improve the quality of care in New Mexico, and uphold UNM’s reputation as a leading research institution. 

Our students have varying and sometimes vast needs. Without a support network, many students are in danger of not being able to graduate and go on to establish successful, productive healthcare careers. 

• Basic needs. Access to healthy food, clean water, housing, childcare, mental health resources, financial assistance, and transportation is critical for ensuring students’ strong academic performance, increasing their tenacity to complete their studies, and improving their well-being. One example of current student support at CON is the financial literacy courses we offer in partnership with local financial institutions. However, our Health Sciences campus in Rio Rancho has learned that some students who commute from the reservations and pueblos cannot finish the course because they cannot afford the transportation costs.  

• Financial needs. Barriers to student success include the cost of tuition and opportunities for future debt relief. Alleviating student loan debt by providing scholarships helps CON students pay for their books, classes, and essential learning tools. Currently, CON awards $270,000 in scholarships each year, and we hope to provide more full-ride scholarships to future students. 

• Staffing needs. As mentioned in our second campaign priority, one of the keys to student success is the recruitment of additional and highly qualified nursing teaching staff. CON is already discussing priorities for hiring additional teaching assistants, which will help relieve the current workload and allow more staff to oversee clinical rotation sites. Moreover, student support from our teaching staff helps students to gain confidence in their abilities to perform as nurse practitioners. 

$2 million in philanthropic support for basic student needs, increased scholarships, and increased staff will enhance our nursing students’ educational experience at UNM, help them graduate, increase the number of professional nurses, and help CON produce more highly qualified professionals.