Important Chamberlain Communication: Accreditation Update — January 5, 2012

Contents of news release accurate at date of publication.

 

January 5, 2012
Chamberlain College of Nursing has been committed to providing our students with quality nursing education and student experience for more than 120 years. It is with these principles in mind that we are notifying you of a recent update in our elective programmatic accreditations.     

Chamberlain is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC*), a regional accrediting agency, and has maintained elective programmatic accreditation with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*) and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC*) at select locations. We have reviewed our elective programmatic accreditations and have made a purposeful decision regarding Chamberlain’s NLNAC accreditation.

Chamberlain currently maintains NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program at the St. Louis and Columbus locations. Additionally, we have been exploring NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the BSN degree program at the Addison, Arlington, Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville and Phoenix locations. After careful review, we have elected to withdraw those candidacies, effective immediately. 

In reviewing our accreditations, it became clear that maintaining programmatic accreditation for the BSN degree program with two separate accrediting agencies is an unnecessary investment of time and resources from our operational and academic staff. Few schools of nursing maintain both NLNAC and CCNE accreditation, and most BSN degree programs seek only CCNE accreditation. After much consideration, we have opted to maintain programmatic accreditation with CCNE, a leading specialized professional accrediting agency. We will continue to pursue CCNE accreditation for new programs and locations and not pursue candidacy with NLNAC for our BSN degree programs. This decision enables us to better focus our resources on enhancing student programs and services. 

Chamberlain plans to retain NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the BSN degree program at the St. Louis and Columbus locations until it expires in fall 2012. We also plan to maintain NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the Associate Degree in Nursing program at the Columbus location.

Chamberlain is an accredited institution. This change does not affect Chamberlain’s institutional accreditation from HLC nor our status of having programmatic accreditation. Chamberlain plans to maintain programmatic accreditation by CCNE for our BSN degree program at all of our current and future locations and for the Master of Science in Nursing degree program. We are confident that the in-depth review and examination we receive from HLC and CCNE demonstrate that Chamberlain delivers the quality nursing education you expect.

If you are a current student who is receiving tuition reimbursement from a healthcare institution that has a question about Chamberlain’s accreditation status, please contact your Chamberlain student services representative. Chamberlain is happy to work with you and your employer to provide detailed information on our institutional and programmatic accreditations.  

Chamberlain will continue to measure itself against the highest standards of academic excellence. We are communicating these changes to you to assure you that our decision to drop NLNAC accreditation has no impact on the quality education you receive or Chamberlain’s status as an accredited institution.

If you have any questions about accreditation, please contact your Chamberlain student services representative.

Sincerely,

Susan L. Groenwald, Ph.D. (c), MSN
President
Chamberlain College of Nursing
National Management Offices
3005 Highland Parkway
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Toll-Free: 888-556-8CCN (8226)

* Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org)
* Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, 202.887.6791)
* National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC, 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326,
404.975.5000)

©2012 Chamberlain College of Nursing LLC. All Rights Reserved.