WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing Receives National Accreditation

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing’s baccalaureate and master’s programs were recently awarded accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The nursing programs were awarded the 10-year maximum term of accreditation and received no citations or stipulations.

“This accreditation is very significant for our college as we continue to enhance our existing undergraduate and graduate programs and as we prepare to offer a Ph.D. program in Nursing in June 2006,” said Dorothy Detlor, dean of the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing. “We know the quality of our efforts when we see the success of our graduates, but it is also important for our college to have this national recognition.”

CCNE’s accreditation process involves comprehensive self-study and peer review in which baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs are evaluated according to the CCNE Standards for Accreditation of program quality and effectiveness. These standards relate to mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching-learning practices, and student performance and faculty accomplishments. The standards are written as broad statements but with more specific subcategories that embrace several areas of expected institutional performance.

The CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency that contributes to the improvement of the public’s health and ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs across the nation. 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.

Established in 1968, the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing is the nation’s oldest and most comprehensive nursing education consortium. Celebrating 35 years of world-class nursing education, the college offers baccalaureate, graduate and professional development course work to nursing students enrolled through its four consortium partners: Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, WSU and Whitworth College. Each year the college educates more than 700 graduate and upper-division undergraduate students and prepares more entry-level nurses than any other state educational institution. For more information about the College of Nursing, visit the Web site at nursing.wsu.edu.