Calvin Nursing Earns Accreditation

May 12, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Creating a new curriculum for the Calvin College Nursing Program was an
arduous task. But the hard work paid off this week with word that Calvin has
earned a full five-year accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing
Education (CCNE).

Calvin nursing department chairperson Cheryl Feenstra says that the
accreditation is effective immediately. This means that the class of 2004 (the
first Calvin-only nursing class) will graduate on May 22 from an accredited
nursing program.

The need for a new Calvin curriculum came about when Calvin and Hope colleges
decided to end the combined Hope-Calvin Nursing Program in favor of separate
programs at each institution. The first class graduated from that combined
program in 1984; the last class graduated in 2003. In between the program
educated hundreds of nurses, many of whom are working in West Michigan.

At the core of the new Calvin program is this seemingly simple statement: "The
Calvin College Department of Nursing, in sharing the mission of Calvin College,
seeks to engage in professional nursing education that promotes lifelong
Christian service within a caring and diverse educational community."

Calvin's Feenstra says that statement informs the entire nursing curriculum.
"We want service to be a core virtue for Calvin College nursing graduates," she
says.

To that end Calvin's nursing students now spend a five-week practicum in the
fall of their junior year and another seven weeks in their senior year working
with health providers and schools in such Grand Rapids neighborhoods as Burton
Heights, Baxter and Creston. The students practice a variety of nursing skills
in those settings.

Feenstra notes that Calvin hosted a site visit from the CCNE last November and
since has been eagerly awaiting the word from the CCNE Board of Commissioners
about its status. The Commissioners met in late April and gave Calvin its
stamp of approval at that time.

The CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency that "ensures the quality and
integrity of baccalaureate and graduate education programs in nursing." It is
officially recognized by the US Department of Education as a national
accreditation agency.

Contact Cheryl Feenstra at 616-526-6255 or cfeenstr@calvin.edu
Received on Wed May 12 15:36:01 2004