Dianne Nelson never thought the nursing program would receive it, and now she is trying to keep it.

The program received a $63,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to start a new online program.

The grant lasts until June 30, 2011, and the nursing program is the first program on campus to implement this type of grant.

Nelson, the director of the nursing program, has talked with Robert Chesnut, director of research and sponsored programs, about an extension, she said.

“We didn’t expect to get this grant in the first place,” Nelson said. “It is a lot of money to help us get started.”

The online program allows for the student and professor to hear each other.

Since the nursing program exists for registered nurses wanting to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, most students do full-time work and, in the past, classes were offered in the evening, Nelson said.

“This was getting in the way of students who were on-call or had surgeries to go to at night,” she said.

She added most students have already received their associate’s degree from a community college or elsewhere.

Illuminate was the technology used to allow the student and the instructor to hear each other.

“Students can either participate online or listen to a pre-recorded session,” Nelson said.

The grant also allows computers, software, web cams and headsets to be loaned to students who do not have the money for it, Nelson said.

Stacy Knight Davis, the nursing program’s Booth Library liaison, recorded a library orientation program, which walks students through library research online and was also pre-recorded for students to use later.

With the grant, the nursing program can purchase library materials, such as videos and books, and put those online for students.

Along with classes, the program can also record guest speakers, modules to help students with their writing, and record physical exams and other procedures to put online, Nelson said.

“We want to try to branch it out to people in places as far away as Chicago,” Nelson said of the online program.

The grant will provide money for a new faculty member for the nursing program, part-time support and counseling graduate students.

“Students have fairly complicated backgrounds, some with multiple transcripts and some with transcripts dating back to as far back as the 1970s,” Nelson said.

“These counselors will also help with academic advising and even some recruiting along with helping nursing students register for classes.”

The grant will also help pay for 15 laptop computers a year.

“The nursing program had its first year at Eastern last year and this extra money will help expand it (the program) more than it already could,” Chesnut said.

Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or at haholm@eiu.edu.