HILLSBORO, Kan. – Tabor College is celebrating several new accreditations as the fall 2017 semester wraps up. Tabor Wichita received accreditation for its Master of Science in Nursing program from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. In addition, the Hillsboro campus had two programs accredited: social work and education.
For the Wichita campus, the MSN accreditation is a statement to the college’s quality program.
“The MSN accreditation represents further evidence of our quality nursing program that benefits student learning and advances career opportunities,” said Tom Shaw, vice president of Tabor College Wichita.
According to Director of Nursing Staci Ford, in order to receive the accreditation, Tabor’s MSN program underwent “detailed analysis of key elements within four standards that address the quality of our MSN program, including mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching-learning resources and assessment and achievement of program outcomes.”
Ford said this accreditation means Tabor’s MSN program has demonstrated excellence in graduate nursing.
“Students, graduates and employers can trust that the program has met the highest of standards of practice and provides a quality education,” Ford said.
In Hillsboro, the social work program received accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education.
Lara Vanderhoof, assistant professor of social work, said the accreditation gives the program national recognition as well as acknowledgement of the quality of the program.
Vanderhoof said students in the social work program receive an education that integrates Christian faith with social work practice.
“The mission of the Tabor College Social Work program is to equip students with values, knowledge and skills to be helping agents in a diverse world while integrating a Christian faith perspective and enable students to serve those in need with compassion and professionalism,” she said.
As part of the program, students receive a wide range of hands-on experience in the field.
“The program offers a variety of field experiences beyond the required capstone practicum experience, such as volunteering with a variety of people groups and situations in real time,” Vanderhoof said. “Students have even had opportunities to engage in the practice internationally.”
Finally, the Tabor education department recently received word that it had met all 99 standards for the Kansas State Department of Education. According to Frank Johnson, vice president for academics, this achievement represents the hard work of the professors in the education department.