Albertus Magnus College Receives Grant for Planned Nursing Program
Award from the Paul L. Jones Fund Will Help Furnish New Skills and Simulation Lab
Construction of our state-of-the-art labs is already underway.
New Haven, Conn., July 18, 2023 – Albertus Magnus College, is pleased to announce that it has received a $20,000 grant from the Paul L. Jones Fund to help with the launch of Albertus’ planned Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program, which pending State Approval would officially begin in the Fall 2024 semester. The grant will assist in furnishing a new skills and simulation lab with state-of-the-art equipment needed to train Connecticut’s next generation of nurses. Specifically, the funding will be used toward the purchase of new high-fidelity manikins, which will help simulate medical and clinical scenarios for Albertus nursing students.
Albertus is establishing the new BSN degree program to help address Connecticut’s nursing workforce shortage. Earlier this spring, the College announced the hiring of Cynthia Jeffrey, Ed.D., MSN, RN, CNE as the inaugural director of the College’s planned program. And just prior to that, Albertus was awarded $805,000 over three years from the Connecticut Health Horizons Program, which was launched by the State last year to increase opportunities for aspiring nurses and social workers. Albertus will utilize these funds to help launch the new nursing program and to support funding for nursing faculty and their continuing education.
“Simulation technology provides healthcare professionals with the opportunity to practice procedures and assessment methods on computer-based models in realistic clinical scenarios. The high-fidelity manikins will give our nursing students important hands-on experience and an added benefit of reducing the risk to an actual patient,” said Interim Director Dr. Jaime Sinutko.
“We are very grateful for this generous grant from the Paul L. Jones Fund, which will help Albertus be part of the solution to Connecticut’s nursing shortage, as well as fill the employment void in so many fields that require the well-roundedness and critical thinking skills of a liberal arts degree,” shared Vice President for Advancement Mary Young ’91.
The Paul L. Jones Fund was established in 1979 to assist higher-education institutions in Connecticut with students interested in medical and health-related fields.
About Albertus Magnus College
Founded in 1925, Albertus is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money, and The New York Times, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For ten consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained employment or gone on to graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and graduate program levels. Proud to enroll a student body where nearly half of its undergraduate students receive Federal Pell Grants and are first-generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, including BSN and Connecticut's first LPN-to-BSN; General Health Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies; and Public Health.
Among its graduate offerings is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program, and it is just one of three schools to offer a Master of Science in Human Services. In 2025-26, Albertus is celebrating its historic 100th Anniversary and completing implementation of the Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, with a bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.