SALINA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas Wesleyan University is trying to decide what to do after getting more bad news about its nursing program.
Most recently, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education rejected the school’s application for voluntary accreditation, The Salina Journal (https://bit.ly/2dT0shA ) reported. The small private university was notified last week and shared the news with the campus Monday.
Last year, the school’s nursing program voluntarily withdrew from another group, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, because it appeared it was about to be rejected for reaccreditation. Also contributing to the decision was the fact that the school already had decided to pursue accreditation - which can be important for students in seeking employment or getting into graduate schools - from the CCNE.
The university has been working over the past year to revise its nursing curriculum. Part of the curriculum was rolled out this fall, while full implementation is planned for fall 2017, pending approval from the university curriculum committee and the Kansas State Board of Nursing.
“This was unexpected news, but the fact that we met 25 of the 28 criteria means that they believe in the quality of our new fall curriculum and our faculty,” Kansas Wesleyan President Matt Thompson said in a news release.
Paula Hermann, the university’s senior director of marketing and communications, said no decision has been made about applying again for accreditation. The university’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to have its regular fall meeting Wednesday through Friday and will likely discuss the nursing program accreditation at that time.
“We will be looking at which option will be the best,” she said.
Thompson said the criteria failing to meet CCNE standards related to assessments proving the effectiveness of the program and the average pass rate by KWU nursing graduates over the past three years on the national board exam for nursing students.
The university’s pass rate has been in the mid-60 percent range, while a minimum of 80 percent is needed to meet accreditation standards.
“The challenge is, these are based on our past curriculum,” Thompson said.
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Information from: The Salina (Kan.) Journal, https://www.salina.com
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