Saint Mary's College nursing students, alumni and local employers who hire its graduates have until Oct. 11 to weigh in on the program's quality before a national accreditation team arrives on campus.
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education will conduct an on-site evaluation of Saint Mary's nursing programs Nov. 1–6, the college announced Wednesday, Aug. 19. The visit will assess whether the programs meet CCNE accreditation standards.
Dr. Pamela V. Stanley, director of nursing at Saint Mary's, signed the public notice inviting written third-party comments from students, alumni, faculty, employers and community members. Comments must relate specifically to the nursing program's compliance with CCNE standards and will be shared with the evaluation team before the visit.
How to submit comments
Written comments must go directly to CCNE by Oct. 11, three weeks before the visit begins:
- Mail: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Attn: Third-Party Comments, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001
- Email: [email protected]
Separate from WSCUC warning
The CCNE nursing review is a specialized program accreditation, entirely separate from the institutional warning Saint Mary's received in July from the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The two are unrelated.
That WSCUC warning, issued July 9, cited declining enrollment and financial deficits and gave the college two years to address the problems. Saint Mary's remains fully accredited during the warning period.
In a July 13 message to the campus community, President Roger J. Thompson said the college takes the WSCUC findings seriously and is "fully committed to addressing the priorities outlined in its recent Action Letter."
The CCNE visit happens to begin Nov. 1, the same day Saint Mary's WSCUC progress report is due, but the two processes involve different accrediting bodies with different scopes.
Saint Mary's BSN pre-licensure nursing program is also approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. The college has identified nursing and health sciences as areas of growing student interest it is actively expanding, part of a new School of Arts & Sciences launched in July.
Questions about the CCNE visit can be directed to Dr. Stanley at [email protected] or (925) 631-4681.
