Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) has been awarded $424,000 in federal funding to enhance its nursing education programs and expand access to high-quality health care training for rural communities across Georgia. 

The funding, secured through the leadership of Sen. Raphael Warnock, reflects a strong bipartisan effort to improve rural health care outcomes and educational opportunities.

"Our nurses and health care workers are some of the best among us, but too often nurses don’t receive the resources they deserve,” said Sen. Warnock. “This new facility will have a profound impact on the Tifton community and help recruit more nurses into the field, especially in rural communities. I am proud to have worked alongside the dedicated professionals at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to get this project off the ground.”

The investment will support advanced instructional technology, including two Anatomage™ virtual dissection tables, one for ABAC’s Tifton campus and one for its Bainbridge instructional site, as well as a CAE LearningSpace system to enhance simulation-based nursing education. These tools will strengthen student learning in anatomy and physiology and core nursing courses, areas that are critical to student success and workforce readiness.

“Access to quality health care remains one of the most pressing challenges facing rural Georgia, and the demand for well-prepared nurses continues to grow,” said Tracy Brundage, president of ABAC. “While Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has been widely recognized for excellence in agriculture since our founding in 1908, our nursing program, now in its 60th year, has also earned strong recognition from health care employers across the state for the quality and preparedness of our graduates. We are grateful to Senator Warnock and our legislative partners for their confidence in the strength of our programs and in the students who will benefit from this investment. This support will further strengthen our ability to prepare nurses who are ready to serve communities across Georgia.”

Rural communities face unique health care challenges, including limited access to providers and higher rates of uninsured residents. Nurses play a vital role in bridging these gaps, often serving as the primary point of care. ABAC’s nursing graduates consistently serve in hospitals and health care facilities across Georgia, helping meet critical workforce needs in both rural and regional settings.

This project is expected to directly impact more than 1,000 students annually, with long-term benefits extending to thousands of patients across Georgia as graduates enter the workforce. The investment will enhance hands-on learning opportunities and better equip nursing students with the skills needed to meet the growing health care demands of rural communities.

As one of 25 institutions in the University System of Georgia, ABAC plays a key role in preparing skilled health care professionals. This federal investment underscores the importance of bipartisan collaboration in addressing workforce and health care challenges in rural communities.