CONTACT: Jennifer L. Paup
(202) 887-6791
jpaup@aacn.nche.edu

For Immediate Release

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS RECOGNITION OF COMMISSION ON COLLEGIATE NURSING EDUCATION

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 10, 1999 -- The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, a panel of the U.S. Department of Education, has voted to recommend that the Secretary of Education officially recognize the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) as a national agency for the accreditation of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs.

At its meeting in Washington, D.C. on December 7, the committee recommended that CCNE -- an autonomous arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) -- be granted initial recognition for two years, the standard term granted for new accrediting agencies. A decision by the Secretary will be available early in 2000.

"The professional nursing community and other interested parties have worked for several years to create this unique accrediting agency which is specifically attuned to the needs of baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs," says Linda K. Amos, EdD, RN, FAAN, chair of the CCNE Board of Commissioners. "The committee's recommendation that CCNE be recognized as a national accrediting agency provides additional momentum for advancing the quality of nursing education, as well as the quality of nursing care for the consumers we serve."

CCNE Director Jennifer L. Paup noted that the committee's positive recommendation "culminates the dedication of the CCNE staff, board and committee members, and on-site evaluators who have worked so hard to implement good accreditation practices consistent with the agency's core values."

CCNE was established in 1996 by AACN -- the national voice for university and four-year-college education programs in nursing -- as an agency to be devoted exclusively to the accreditation of baccalaureate and higher-degree nursing programs. CCNE began its accreditation activities in 1998 with the conduct of 27 on-site evaluations. To date, CCNE has accredited 104 nursing programs located at 64 regionally accredited colleges and universities. More than 400 nursing education programs are scheduled for accreditation review by CCNE.

The U.S. Department of Education requires that an agency both conduct visits and make accreditation decisions before it can be considered for recognition.

"CCNE was established by an overwhelming vote of AACN's membership -- the consumers of accreditation services -- who expressed the need for a framework and value structure focused on the unique and specific expectations for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education," explains AACN President Andrea R. Lindell, DNSc, RN. "The wider community in nursing has responded to CCNE with active participation and support. We are pleased that the Department's advisory committee has recognized CCNE's outstanding efforts with its recommendation. AACN is proud to have played an instrumental part in creating this new and innovative accreditation initiative."

As an autonomous arm of AACN, CCNE is independent in its development and implementation of standards, policies, and procedures. CCNE is governed by an independent board composed of nursing school faculty and administrators, as well as practitioners, consumers, and employers, and maintains its own financial management.

A member of the Alliance for Nursing Accreditation, an AACN-established coalition of 11 regulatory and credentialing bodies, CCNE is pursuing a range of activities to improve coordination of the accreditation process, including development of guidelines for conducting collaborative accreditation reviews by the Alliance's member organizations.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education is an autonomous accrediting agency contributing to the improvement of the public's health. CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing education programs and supports continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education.

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