The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) recently granted accreditation to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for 10 years, extending its accreditation to Dec. 31, 2026.
The DNP program is the first doctoral program at UW-Eau Claire. The UW System Board of Regents voted in May 2009 to approve a doctor of nursing practice degree program at UW-Eau Claire, and the program's first students started classes in June 2010. The DNP program initially was accredited by CCNE through December 31, 2016, which reflects the five-year maximum time for new program accreditation.
The CNNE accreditation team was at UW-Eau Claire March 7-9, 2016, for a regularly scheduled review of the DNP program. At the conclusion of the successful review, the accreditation team announced that there no concerns identified regarding the CCNE Standards. Dr. Shelley-Rae Pehler, Director of Evaluation and Dr. Mary Zwygart-Stauffacher, Graduate Program Director took the lead in preparing the College for the visit.
Several faculty were instrumental in preparing the Self-Study Report. The self-study process is an opportunity for the graduate nursing program to engage in an in-depth evaluative process leading to continuous quality improvement and clearly articulates the program’s compliance with CCNE’s accreditation standards.
Self-Study Report co-authors include:
- Dean Dr. Linda Young, PhD, RN, PhD, RN, CNE, CFLE
- Graduate Programs Director, Professor Dr. Mary Zwygart-Stauffacher, PhD, RN, GNP/GCNS-BC, FAAN
- Associate Dean, Professor Dr. Debra Jansen, PhD, RN
- Department Chair, Assistant Dean-Marshfield Site, Professor Dr. Robin Beeman, PhD, RN
- Director of Evaluation, Associate Professor Dr. Shelley-Rae Pehler, PhD, RN
- Chair of Graduate Curriculum Committee, Assistant Professor, Dr. Rachel Merkel, DNP, RN, CNE
- Assistant Professor, Dr. Jodi Arriola, DNP, RN
As required for all accredited programs, a Continuous Improvement Progress Report will be submitted by Dec. 1, 2021.
Photo: Several faculty members who co-authored the self-study are pictured above (r-l) Dr. Shelley-Rae Pehler, PhD, RN, Dr. Mary Zwygart-Stauffacher, PhD, RN, GNP/GCNS-BC, FAAN, Dr. Linda Young, PhD, RN, PhD, RN, CNE, CFLE, Dr. Robin Beeman, PhD, RN, Dr. Debra Jansen, PhD, RN
