(a) Under the professional nursing shortage reduction program, the board may award nursing faculty enhancement grants to professional nursing programs to assist the programs in the education, recruitment, and retention of a sufficient number of faculty members to enable the programs to enroll a sufficient number of students to meet the state’s need for registered nurses.
(b) A grant awarded under this section may be used only for the purposes specified by Subsection (a), including providing salary supplements and enhancements and reducing the number of hours a faculty member must teach.

(c) In awarding a grant under this section, the board may require matching funds from a professional nursing program or may give preference in awarding a grant to a program providing matching funds.
(d) The board may appoint an advisory committee to advise the board on successful strategies, in addition to the grants awarded under this section, for educating, recruiting, and retaining qualified professional nursing program faculty members who hold master’s or doctoral degrees.