TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Board of Governors for the State University System will meet at the University of South Florida on Wednesday.

What You Need To Know

  • LINE Funding was introduced in 2022 to help Florida combat a projected nursing shortage

  • The Florida Board of Governors will meet at USF on Wednesday afternoon to consider LINE funding for a third year

  • USF officials says it primarly uses LINE funding to provide scholarships to nursing studetnts that wouldn't qualify for a scholarship otherwise

  • USF prioritizes students receiving LINE funding for clinicals at the same hospitals that donate to the university, with the state matching the funding dollar for dollar

Among the agenda items, the board plans to discuss the extension of LINE (Linking Industry to Nursing Education) funding for a third year.

The Florida legislature first approved LINE funding in 2022, and provides a dollar for dollar match of funds donated to state universities from partner hospitals.

Over the past two years, the USF College of Nursing has primarily used LINE funding to provide scholarships to students who do not qualify for other forms of financial aid or assistance. 

USF College of Nursing Dean Usha Menon notes that LINE funding has allowed more students to gain their nursing degrees, while alleviating the statewide nursing shortage.

“Their passage through nursing school becomes very difficult because they are trying to work,” said Menon. “Nursing school is challenging, and we really want our students to be focused — really focused on their clinical and their didactic so they can get through and pass the exam. The critical things is that if these students aren’t passing the NCLEX exam, then we haven’t helped with the nursing shortage.”

USF prioritizes students who receive scholarships funded by LINE for clinical placements at the hospitals that donate.

That provides an incentive to hospitals donating, as well as an opportunity for students to stay at the hospital where they perform their clinical after they graduate.

The state reviews line funding proposals annually and approves funds based on set criteria that colleges are required to follow in order to receive the dollar for dollar match.