Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Ferrum College to offer clinical nurse leader master’s degree
Ferrum College is launching a new graduate program for nurses.
The Master of Science Clinical Nurse Leader program, or MSN CNL, trains nurses with a focus on risk management, care coordination, communication and team leadership.
The CNL program is the fifth graduate program in the private college’s School of Graduate and Online Studies.
“Opportunities and changes in the nursing profession have increased focus on developing nurse leaders in the clinical arena,” Melody Sharp, chair of nursing, said in a press release, citing anticipated growth of employment for registered nurses over the next 10 years. “The program is designed to meet the workforce need of nurses with a higher level of education for leadership positions.”
The 12-month program is designed for registered nurses already working in Virginia, and takes place completely online. It also prepares nurses for the CNL credentialing exam. Ferrum is now accepting applications for fall 2024 and will offer rolling admission on a seven-week cycle once the program launches.
Shortages of health care professionals can be particularly evident in rural regions such as the area around Ferrum College.
Ferrum began offering graduate programs in fall 2020 with a Master of Science in psychology and an education specialist program in teacher leadership and coaching. In 2022 it added the Master of Education in curriculum and instruction, and a Master of Science in athletic coaching.
Ferrum also offers the undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which launched in 2021, along with an online registered nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in nursing program.
— Lisa Rowan
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$300,000 grant will pay for new pool at Breaks Interstate Park
Breaks Interstate Park is getting a new swimming pool thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Energy’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program.
The pool will be added to the existing water park and is expected to increase the number of visitors, according to a news release from Virginia Energy, which administers the program.
“This AMLER grant for $300,000 will bring a welcome addition to Breaks Interstate Park,” U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, said in the release. “The park showcases Southwest Virginia’s beauty, and a new swimming pool will continue to drive interest in visiting the area and exploring some of our region’s most scenic sites.”
The water park draws more than 12,000 visitors each season. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky.
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Sweet Briar, UVa create accelerated track for engineering master’s degree
Sweet Briar College students can apply to an accelerated engineering graduate program at the University of Virginia through a new agreement between the two schools.
Through the program, called UVAccelerate, Sweet Briar students can apply for graduate admission to UVa during their junior year and begin taking graduate-level courses during their senior year, according to a news release announcing the program.
These engineering courses will be taken in tandem with undergraduate courses at Sweet Briar, either in person in Charlottesville or online. In the fifth year of the 4+1 program, students who have earned their undergraduate degree from Sweet Briar will matriculate directly into their designated UVa Master of Engineering program.
The partnership agreement will remain in effect for three years, after which it may be amended or extended.
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Franklin County names economic development director
Franklin County has hired Danielle Poe as its new director of economic development.
Poe has been assistant director of economic development in Roanoke County since 2022, according to a news release from Franklin County. Before joining Roanoke County, she was business manager for the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission and economic development specialist for Downtown Roanoke Inc., and she worked in real estate and property management.
She is a graduate of Radford University and will graduate from the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute program next month. She will begin her new position April 15, the release said.
The county’s previous director of economic development, Beth Simms, was hired last fall as county administrator in neighboring Patrick County.
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Earle, Grisman to play Harvester in Rocky Mount
The Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount will host Sam Grisman Project in May and Steve Earle in June.
Tickets for both shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at harvester-music.com.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Earle will perform a solo acoustic show June 15. Earle’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, and countless others. He recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Tickets start at $62.
Sam Grisman Project will perform May 4. Grisman, the son of “Dawg music” pioneer David Grisman, created Sam Grisman Project to celebrate the music his father made in the ’90s with Grateful Dead co-founder Jerry Garcia. Tickets start at $27.