In June of 2015, Ozarka College was able to award twelve Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) students, who were taking summer courses at Ozarka College - Mammoth Spring, $1,000 tuition stipends, with support from the Arkansas Partnering for Nursing's Future (APNF) grant. The APNF grant is now awarding LPN students at Ozarka College - Mammoth Spring $500 each, to be applied to the Fall 2015 semester.

The fall tuition stipends mark the fourth and final round of student support funds for Ozarka College LPN students through the APNF grant, an initiative providing direct tuition support for more than 70 LPN students since summer 2013. To date, the APNF program has provided $36,780 toward tuition for students in the LPN nursing pathway.

The Arkansas Partnership for Nursing's Future is a partnership between the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (DWS), the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and participating four-year institutions, and the Arkansas Community Colleges (ACC) and participating two-year institutions.

Regarding ACC and participating two-year institutions, the primary goals include increasing distance delivery opportunities for Licensed Practical Nursing and Associate Degree in Registered Nursing (RN) students and increasing the number of students matriculated into Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), LPN, and RN programs by Spring 2016.

"The APNF initiative enabled the College to accelerate its presence and offerings at the Mammoth Spring location, " said Joshua Wilson, Ozarka College Associate Vice President for Planning and Institutional Research.   "As the grant was designed to support LPN program expansion, the College was quickly poised to capitalize on the funding opportunity to advance nursing education in Fulton, Oregon and Howell Counties, a historically underserved market. "