Media release from Atrium Health Floyd:
Atrium Health Floyd PresidentKurt Stuenkel has received the University System of Georgia Regents Hall of Fame Alumni and Distinguished Friends Award in recognition of his support of Georgia Highlands College.
A strong advocate for education and workforce development, Stuenkel has played a pivotal role in forging Atrium Health Floyd’s partnership with GHC, working to combat the critical nursing shortage in the region by creating new opportunities for students to pursue nursing and other health science careers. He was nominated for the award by GHC.
Atrium Health Floyd and Georgia Highlands College have more than a 50-year history of collaboration with Atrium Health Floyd providing clinical training programming, scholarships and career pathways at the college for generations.
“The recognition from the university system acknowledges the long relationship we have had with the college and importantly, it recognizes the creativity and impact of our new agreement,” Stuenkel said.
“We have enhanced faculty recruitment and retention, increased the number of students in the program, and created more scholarship opportunities,” he added. “Our partnership with Georgia Highlands College is transformational for the nursing program and for our community. It increases the number of nurses who will ultimately give back to our community in providing patient care to area residents.”
In 2023, Atrium Health Floyd entered into an agreement with GHC to increase the number of health sciences student positions at the college and to grow the number of nurses entering the workforce in the region.
As part of the agreement, the health sciences and nursing programs at Georgia Highlands College were renamed the Atrium Health Floyd School of Health Sciences and the Atrium Health Floyd Department of Nursing.
Atrium Health Floyd also has helped increase the number of nursing school students and supplemented the salaries of educators at the college.
“The partnership between Atrium Health Floyd and Georgia Highlands College exemplifies how higher education and health care can work hand-in-hand to transform a region,” said Mike Hobbs, GHC president.
“Together, we are not only training the next generation of health care professionals, we are building a sustainable pipeline of talent drawn directly from our local communities,” Hobbs added. “With Atrium Health Floyd’s support, our graduates are beginning their careers here at home, strengthening families, bolstering our workforce, and ensuring that northwest Georgia has one of the strongest health care systems in the state.”
The award was presented during the USG Foundation’s 21st annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala, which raised more than $4.5 million to expand need-based scholarships for USG students across the state.
“Having Kurt as a friend of Georgia Highlands College is a gift to our students and our region,” said Lisa Jellum, assistant vice provost of Academic Partnerships and Innovation at GHC. “He leads with vision, keeps patients at the center, and champions the next generation of caregivers.”
Jellum says the college’s partnership with Atrium Health Floyd is transforming lives through scholarships, high-impact clinical training, and expanded program capacity that keeps more graduates here in northwest Georgia to provide care for the community.