As Alabama faces a growing shortage of nurses, the University of Alabama System is expanding nursing programs to prepare more healthcare professionals for the workforce. The University of Alabama System says Alabama is projected to face a shortage of 14,000 nurses by next year. Against that backdrop, the University of Alabama System is making significant investments across its three campuses to increase the number of nurses entering Alabama’s workforce. The university recently launched a year-round Bachelor of Science in Nursing program designed to shorten the time it takes students to enter the workforce. A $1.5 million gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation-Donor Advised Fund will provide approximately 60 scholarships each year for in-state nursing students.