--- title: "Section 1 : General Program Information" canonical: "https://resources.acenursing.org/space/ARI/1952776196/Section%201%20%3A%20General%20Program%20Information" format: markdown --- ## About Section 1 is asking for information regarding Program Type (and any program options), Governing Organization, Nursing Education Unit, Nurse Administrator, and State Regulatory Agency Status ## Program Types The Annual Report comes pre-populated with your particular ACEN-accredited program(s) already selected. We ask that everyone review the listed program type(s), and, should there be ANY discrepancy, DO NOT begin the Annual Report. And please notify us immediately by emailing [annualreport@acenursing.org](mailto:annualreport@acenursing.org) Provided that the program type(s) listed are in accordance with the programs that are accredited by ACEN, you are free to proceed. ## Governing Organization  Governing Organization is defined as:           *The institution with overall responsibility and authority for a nursing education unit (NEU) and a nursing program (e.g., university, college, hospital/medical center, career center).* The Annual Report form should, based on the link provided to you by the ACEN in the Annual Report launch email, pre-populate with your governing organization as well as whatever data the ACEN current has its database. Please be sure to review the data and make any changes as necessary. Please note that the Governing Organization is the institution that houses/governs the NEU (typically, the name of the overall college or university that offers the nursing program through the NEU). The Governing Organization is **not** a national or state accrediting agency or regulatory body. ### Governing Organization Characteristics Below the address/demographic information for the Governing Organization there are 5 questions related to the characteristics of the organization: 1. Institution Type 2. Institutional Ownership/Control 3. For Profit / Non for Profit 4. Single Purpose Institutions 5. Special Focus Please select the appropriate option for each of the 5 characteristics. Please note: a ‘Single Purpose Institution’ is defined as: “a postsecondary school that offers a single educational program or course of study. For example, a postsecondary school that only offers programs in nursing education that lead to a professional degree/licensure in nursing may be considered a single-purpose freestanding institution.” ## **Accrediting Agency and State Regulatory Agency**   Per Policy #3 Eligibility for Initial and Continuing Accreditation: The governing organization/institution is accredited or approved to pursue accreditation by a [governing organization/institutional accrediting agency recognized by the ACEN](https://www.acenursing.org/about/acen-recognized-agencies); however, this does not apply to programs outside the U.S. or its territories. The full list of accrediting agencies recognized by the ACEN can be found by clicking here:           [List of Accrediting Agencies Recognized by the ACEN](https://www.acenursing.org/about/acen-recognized-agencies)   This question defaults to “ACEN-Recognized Institutional Agency” and provide a drop-down list to select the appropriate agency. Then you are asked to provide the Date of Last Review, the Outcome of the Last Review, and the Date of Next Review. As the list of accrediting agencies applies only to programs within the U.S. and its territories, for International programs you may either select “Other” from the list and type in the name of your Institutional Accreditor, **OR**, if your program does not have an institutional accreditor, you can select “N/A”.  **The State Regulatory Agency for Nursing** question provides a similar drop-down list to select the State Regulatory agency. As the list of State Regulatory agencies applies only to programs within the U.S. and its territories, for International programs, please select “International (e.g., Non-U.S. based) Nursing Program.” Then, please provide the Nursing Program’s *current* status (as of the time of completing the Annual Report) with the State Regulatory Agency for Nursing. ## CEO Information  The CEO of record is the president of the university/school/organization that is defined as the “Governing Organization.” The CEO can be local or national (as may be the case with some programs). The CEO data populating (if any) in the Annual Report form is pulled directly from the ACEN’s database records. Review the information and, if the information is correct and up to date, select “Yes” on the proceeding question “Is the above CEO information correct?” If, however, the CEO information requires updating, click “No” to answer the question and update the information in the fields that appear. If there is no information listed it means the ACEN does not have a current record for the CEO/president of the Governing Organization. Please complete the fields and provide that information. ## Nursing Education Unit Nursing Education Unit: *          A unit within a governing organization that offers one (1) or more nursing programs.*  Enter the name and demographic information for the nursing education unit. **Do not enter the name of the nurse administrator here. **The address in this area should reflect the physical address of the** primary** nursing education unit office. Include the website for the nursing education unit or program here. ***Program locations*** If your governing organization has more than one (1) nursing education unit (NEU) accredited by the ACEN, each NEU should have received a separate Annual Report to complete. Only enter the information for one (1) Nursing Education Unit per Annual Report. While there should only be one (1) NEU entered into the Annual Report, it possible that the NEU has multiple locations for the ACEN-accredited program or programs offered. If there ARE multiple locations, please answer “No” to the question “Is this the only location where the nursing program is provided?” Answering “No” will provide a section to add additional location information. Clicking “Add Another Response” will provide additional identical sections, should the program have multiple additional locations.    ## Nurse Administrator Nurse Administrator: *          The nurse with responsibility and authority for the administrative and instructional activities of a nursing education unit and nursing program(s) within the governing organization (e.g., dean, chairperson, director, etc.)* The Nurse Administrator data populating (if any) in the Annual Report form is pulled directly from the ACEN’s database records. Review the information and, if the information is correct and up to date, select “Yes” on the proceeding question “Is the above Nurse Administrator Information correct?” If, however, the Nurse Administrator information requires updating, click “No” to answer the question and update the information in the fields that appear. Enter the name and demographic information for the current (as of the time of completion of the Annual Report) nurse administrator. The address listed should reflect the primary physical address where the nurse administrator’s office is located. The email address provided should be the email address used to receive all ACEN-related correspondence.    ## Nursing Faculty in the Nursing Education Unit The next two questions cover the total number of both full-time and part-time nursing faculty in the Nursing Education Unit for the ACEN-accredited program(s). Please provide the unduplicated headcount(s) for the Nursing Faculty teaching in the Nursing Education Unit. The ACEN glossary provides the following definition(s): **Faculty, Nursing** Nurses who teach and evaluate nursing students in didactic, clinical, and/or laboratory settings, and are educationally and experientially qualified for their assigned roles and responsibilities. **Note:** Governing organizations use a variety of terms to describe individuals who teach and evaluate nursing students in didactic, clinical, and/or laboratory settings. Such titles include, but are not limited to, full-time or part-time faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty, a rank (e.g., professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer), staff, etc. #### **Full-time Faculty** Nurses who teach and/or evaluate nursing students and have a full-time employment status at the governing organization #### **Part-time** **Faculty** Nurses who teach and/or evaluate nursing students and have an appointment that is less than a full-time status at the governing organization. ## State Regulatory Agency Approval Status If there has been a change in status of any ACEN-accredited program with your state regulatory agency for nursing, select “Yes” or “No.”    If you have selected “Yes,” you will have the option to select the “Program Type(s)” that experienced the change—mark all that apply. Then mark if the change was reported to ACEN by selecting “Yes” or “No.”   Note: If you have had one (1) or more programs that experienced a change of regulatory approval status prior to the completion of this report and are unsure if it has been reported, select “No.”