McDaniel College and LifeBridge Health announce landmark partnership

Leaders from LifeBridge Health and McDaniel College joined together at Carroll Hospital on Oct. 30 to announce a landmark partnership that not only helps to address the nursing shortage in Carroll County and the surrounding region through McDaniel’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program, but also benefits McDaniel students and LifeBridge Health team members.

Carroll Hospital worked with McDaniel to build the college's B.S.N. program, which is helping to address the need for qualified nurses by combining the liberal arts with the technical knowledge and skills to prepare future nurses who are practicing in diverse health care settings. This new partnership expands this effort by having McDaniel’s Nursing program housed at Carroll Hospital, including offices, Nursing classrooms, and labs. 

Beginning in fall 2026, McDaniel’s Nursing students will have access to Carroll Hospital's state-of-the-art facilities, including the Kahlert Foundation Simulation Center, and be provided early and frequent exposure to clinical work within a hospital setting.

McDaniel President Julia Jasken said, "Embedding the students’ clinical coursework into the hospital itself through the construction of classrooms and other educational spaces will enable students to have invaluable, hands-on experience in a hospital environment, helping them build confidence and competence in their future profession. While there are numerous examples of medical systems that are affiliated with large universities, we believe that it is unique for a college to partner with an existing system in this way. We are eager to create a new model designed to create a long-term solution to address the critical need for nurses."   

In addition to Carroll Hospital, other LifeBridge Health locations in the Baltimore area — Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and Grace Medical Center — will serve as the primary clinical site placement locations for all McDaniel Nursing students. McDaniel’s Nursing students will also be eligible for LifeBridge Health’s CARE BRAVELY scholarship if they make a commitment to working in the LifeBridge Health system after graduation.

During the event, Kahlert Foundation President Greg W. Kahlert, who holds an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from McDaniel, presented President Jasken with a $2.5 million grant to support McDaniel’s Nursing program. The college was previously awarded a $150,000 grant from the foundation for development of the program.

Also, in recognition of the partnership between McDaniel and LifeBridge Health, President Jasken announced the establishment of the LifeBridge Legacy Scholarship for the children of LifeBridge Health employees who apply to and are admitted to McDaniel College. This guaranteed scholarship is valued at up to $132,000, or $33,000 annually for four years, and there is no limit to the number of scholarships awarded each year.

Other speakers included Debbie Seidel '84, vice chair of the Carroll Hospital Board of Directors and McDaniel College trustee, Garrett Hoover, president of Carroll Hospital, and Leslie Simmons, executive vice president and chief operating officer for LifeBridge Health. McDaniel's Nursing Program Director Heather A. Gable and Jennifer Ort, assistant director and faculty member in Nursing, provided tours of the future McDaniel Nursing space at the hospital. 

Students in McDaniel’s first Nursing cohort, which began at the college this fall 2024 and will begin their studies at Carroll Hospital in their junior year, were in attendance, along with business and community leaders, as well as government officials.