Bluffton University nursing program granted five-year CCNE accreditation
Bluffton University’s nursing program has been granted the full five-year accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the nation’s leading accrediting agency for nursing programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and residency levels.
The accreditation status follows a successful virtual site accreditation visit with an evaluation team composed of three CCNE-appointed nursing education leaders.
“Receiving our CCNE accreditation is a testament to the quality of the nursing education program that we offer at Bluffton University,” said Dr. Sherri Winegardner, director and professor of nursing at Bluffton. “Students attending our program can be assured that they are participating in an educational program that is engaging in effective and quality academic practices relative to nursing education.”
Bluffton’s nursing program is a four-year, dual-degree, dual-entry program in collaboration with Rhodes State College.
Through the program, students earn both an associate degree in nursing from Rhodes State College, leading to licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN), and advanced nursing coursework at Bluffton, leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
“CCNE accreditation is a voluntary process undertaken by a program wishing to establish itself as a high-quality nursing program,” said Winegardner. “Because we are following the CCNE-accrediting standards, students are being prepared at a level that will allow them to successfully enter the workforce or pursue graduate nursing education after completion of their BSN.”
Bluffton’s first group of traditional undergraduate BSN students completed their studies in May 2022. Benefits of the accreditation status extend to both nursing graduates as well as current Bluffton nursing students.
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, August 31, 2025
Saturday, August 30, 2025
Friday, August 29, 2025
- Community Dog Park officially opens as memorial to Katrina Riepenhoff
- Obituary for Ian Christopher Shriner
- 2025 Blaze of Lights theme is "Home for the Holidays"
- Pirate volleyball win vs. Defiance Ayersville
- Highway Patrol focused on removing impaired drivers from the road
- Beaverdam Bunch 4-H results at 2025 Allen County Fair
- Porchfest brings live music to Bluffton neighborhoods
Thursday, August 28, 2025
- Pirate girls golf close 2nd at tri; Bauman 1st
- Pirate boys golf 2nd in NWC quad-match
- Pirate girls tennis loss at Wapak
- "You Made It" Forum welcomes Class of 2029
- 2nd annual Bluffton Porchfest celebrates live music
- Learn to play bridge at the Senior Center
- Blanchard Valley Health System enhances “Find-a-Doc”
- Taste of Bluffton serves as mixer for students and residents
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