Providence College Nursing Program Earns Full Five-Year Accreditation
When Providence College leadership first mapped out a new path for healthcare education as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, the timeline was aggressive and the stakes were high. The institution’s nursing program has secured full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), validating a multi-year sprint that reshaped a corner of the Rhode Island campus.
The distinction covers a full five-year term running effectively through December 31, 2031. Because accreditation processes often trail operational milestones, the decision is retroactive to February 11, 2026, marking the date of CCNE’s campus visit to evaluate the program.
For a program that only welcomed its inaugural cohort of students in 2023, the stamp of approval from the national accrediting body signals that the infrastructure matches the ambition. College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G called the decision a powerful endorsement of institutional priorities.
“Accreditation affirms the excellence of the nursing education offered at PC and marks a significant achievement for one of our newest academic programs and strategic priorities,” said College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G.
According to his observations, the curriculum met all four CCNE benchmarks in full measure, covering institutional backing and assets, structural goals and oversight, academic standards involving teaching and course design, alongside programmatic success through student achievement metrics and evaluations.
From Pandemic-Era Vision to the Ben Mondor Center
The journey to full accreditation began in earnest during October 2021, when Father Sicard used his inaugural address to outline his goal to add programs in nursing and health sciences. Operating under founding dean Kyle McInnis, the college quickly secured state authorization by September 2022. By January 2025, those plans materialized physically with the opening of the 150,000-square-foot, five-story Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.
Featuring a simulated hospital floor environment, the building was made possible partly through a primary contribution by Madeline Mondor, given to honor her late husband Ben Mondor ’04Hon., a prominent industrialist and proprietor of the Pawtucket Red Sox.
Nursing stands today as one of the college’s most popular majors, supporting an enrollment of 328 students. Nancy Meedzan, DNP, R.N., interim dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, pointed to the hard work and commitment that made the accreditation possible.
“Achieving CCNE accreditation is an important milestone for Providence College nursing, and I am deeply grateful to the faculty, staff, and students who made it possible,” Meedzan said. “Their hard work and commitment to excellence have shaped this program from the beginning.”
Milestones Ahead for the First Graduating Class
In May 2027, Providence College will graduate its first 56 nursing students. Passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) stands between those graduates and their professional licenses, which all nursing graduates must pass to be licensed.
An established collaboration with the Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions guarantees PC nursing alumni seamless admission into the institution’s Master of Science in Nursing Program, designed to train future nurse practitioners.
