National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA)
Update on Status of NLN CNEA Petition for Initial Recognition by USDE
As you know, the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) is in the process of seeking initial recognition from the U. S. Department of Education. Both the Accreditation Department Staff and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) recently issued recommendations to grant initial recognition, citing no issues or concerns. While surprised by the preliminary finding of the Deputy Undersecretary to deny initial recognition, given that the concerns expressed in the letter were not previously raised by the Department, we are committed to working with the Department to seek clarification and provide a response to address the issues that were raised. We will submit our response to the Department of Education within the next 90 days. Department staff will then have an additional 30 days to provide their own analysis, which the Deputy Undersecretary will take into account when rendering her final decision. In the event that the final decision is to deny recognition, that decision remains appealable to the Secretary of Education. The NLN CNEA has full confidence that its policies and procedures are in compliance with the recognition criteria. This does not affect your program’s pre-accreditation or accreditation status. We will keep you updated on the status of the Department’s decision.
The NLN’s accreditation services, represented by the NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA), promotes excellence and integrity in nursing education globally through an accreditation process that respects the diversity of program mission, curricula, students, and faculty; emphasizes a culture of continuous quality improvement; and influences the preparation of a caring and competent nursing workforce. CNEA carries out its accreditation activities guided by the National League for Nursing’s core values – caring, diversity, integrity, and excellence – as applied to the accreditation process.
Staff
Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, Executive Director
jhalstead@nln.org; 202-909-2487
Betsy Frank, RN, PhD, ANEF, Associate Director
bfrank@nln.org; 202-909-2542
Naomi Schultheis, MEd, Manager, Quality Assurance and Special Projects
nschultheis@nln.org; 202-909-2543
Lesleyan Jackson, MSA, Manager, Accreditation Services
ljackson@nln.org; 202-909-2526