OCALA, Fla. (Aug. 24, 2023) — The College of Central Florida has received a $5 million commitment from the Citrus County Hospital Board to support its Debbie Ressler Nursing Program. The college plans to use the funds to cover the costs of tuition for Citrus County residents who enroll in the Associate Degree in Nursing program as well as add additional nursing faculty members.

The gift makes the college eligible to apply for a $5 million match from the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) grant funded by the Florida Legislature and is contingent upon matching funds from the state. In 2022, the Citrus County Hospital Board granted CF $6.7 million to support its nursing program, which helped the college secure a LINE grant match of $6.7 million, the largest share among the 26 colleges and universities that applied for the competitive grant.

This is a huge game changer for Citrus County residents and the CF nursing program,” said Dr. Jim Henningsen, CF president. “The college is grateful for the hospital board’s generous investment that will allow us to expand our #1 rated nursing program to support the needs of our local health care providers. The board has been a longstanding partner of the college, and its support has been transformational in helping CF lead the way in meeting the critical shortage of nurses in our region.”

CF’s Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus Associate Degree Nursing program is ranked the 2023 Best RN Program in Florida by RegisteredNursing.org. For more information, visit CF.edu/Nursing.