Grant intends to create more nurses by bolstering faculty.

• Position: BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation

The University of South Carolina Upstate's Mary Black School of Nursing has received a grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation that is intended to increase the number of nursing faculty in the Palmetto State.

The Developing Nurse Faculty to Strengthen the Nursing Pipeline in South Carolina grant will provide full-ride scholarships to Master of Science in Nursing students during the next four years, according to a news release.

"Elevating the health and wellbeing of the Upstate is central to our vision as a university," USC Upstate Chancellor Bennie Harris said in the news release. "Before we can increase the number of nursing graduates, we must first solve the shortage of nursing faculty in our state. We are grateful to the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation for their generosity. Together we will build a stronger, healthier community."

As of Jan. 30, there were 8,903 job openings for registered nurses in South Carolina, including 2,471 openings in the 10-county Upstate, according to S.C. Works. Those numbers include 1,042 openings for registered nurses in Greenville County and 588 in Spartanburg County.

At the same time, South Carolina faces the fourth-most-severe shortage of nursing faculty in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and...