Episode Title: Beyond Committees: Building Meaningful Student and Faculty Governance in Nursing Programs
Podcast: Accreditation Unlocked: Navigating Higher Education Compliance
Host: Dr. Ken Clough, Accreditation Expert & Higher Education Consultant
Episode Summary: Student and faculty governance is one of the most frequently misunderstood—and most commonly cited—requirements in nursing accreditation. Many programs believe they are compliant because committees exist on paper, yet accreditors consistently ask a deeper question: Can you demonstrate how student and faculty input meaningfully influences program decisions?
In this episode of Accreditation Unlocked, Dr. Ken Clough unpacks what accreditors truly mean by governance in nursing education and why it plays such a critical role in program quality, integrity, and sustainability. Drawing from decades of higher education and accreditation experience, Ken explains how governance functions as the bridge between assessment data and continuous improvement—and why weak governance structures often undermine otherwise strong nursing programs.
Listeners will explore best practices for both student and faculty governance, including how to move beyond token participation, engage adjunct and clinical faculty, document decision-making effectively, and close the feedback loop in ways accreditors expect. The episode also addresses why institutions struggle with this requirement, particularly during periods of leadership turnover, program growth, or expansion into online and hybrid learning. Practical frameworks and documentation strategies are shared to help programs build governance systems that are clear, inclusive, and accreditation-ready.
Key Episode Segments
Keywords: nursing accreditation, student governance, faculty governance, shared governance in nursing education, ACEN accreditation, CCNE accreditation, nursing program compliance, continuous improvement, nursing education leadership, accreditation documentation, nursing program quality
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