Dr. Linda Godley, professor of Nursing and director of the Center for Accreditation, Assessment, Compliance, and Evaluation Management in the Cora S. Balmat School of Nursing, has been elected as a commissioner of the Board of Commissioners for the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
Godley will serve a three-year term on a 17-member board responsible for accreditation at ‘all levels of nursing education and transition-to-practice programs.’
“We are elated about Dr. Godley’s election to the ACEN Board of Commissioners, a board that ensures that educational institutions meet or exceed standards for educational quality,” said Dr. Shirley Evers-Manly, dean of the School of Nursing. “Dr. Godley’s election to the ACEN Board demonstrates that an Alcorn faculty member is sitting at the table where decisions are generated and educational standards are codified for nursing schools around the world. More importantly, Dr. Godley’s election to this prestigious organization demonstrates her energy, dedication, and sacrifice to educate the next cadre of nurses with excellence and high-quality programs.”
The New York-based organization is recognized as an accrediting body by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The ACEN is one of the largest specialized accrediting agencies, accrediting nursing programs throughout the United States, its territories, and internationally.
“I am honored to have been nominated for the position of Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) board commissioner, but I am more honored to have been selected,” said Godley. “I have served as a peer evaluator at the state level since the late 90s and at the national level since 2008. I was appointed to the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (renamed ACEN) Appeals Panel in 2012 and the ACEN Evaluation Review Panel in 2019. While the work these positions require is massive, the knowledge I gained allows me to be more effective in my roles at Alcorn and beyond.”
The ACEN plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and integrity of nursing education programs. Godley believes that one of the most significant challenges and opportunities in nursing education today is professional development for faculty members. She sees her new role as an opportunity to improve the quality of nursing programs.
“The most significant challenge in the field of nursing education is maintaining a culture of professional development to ensure that faculty have maintained their expertise in their practice, as well as enhance their knowledge related to current health care innovations and technologies,” said Godley. “In addition to my role as board commissioner, I also serve as a peer evaluator and a member of the Evaluation Review Panel. As a commissioner, I have the opportunity to participate in each phase of the accreditation process, including making the final decision regarding a program’s accreditation status. In my new role as a member of the ACEN Board of Commissioners, I will have the opportunity to review policies and recommend changes to policies that will, hopefully, provide program administrators and faculty with the guidance that will ensure the quality and integrity of their nursing programs.”
She found her experience as an inaugural faculty member at the Alcorn School of Nursing valuable in shaping her understanding of nursing education and accreditation. Godley was part of the team that introduced Alcorn’s first nursing curriculum.
“Being a member of Alcorn State University’s School of Nursing inaugural faculty provided me the opportunity to shape my understanding of nursing education and accreditation,” said Godley. As the first faculty members, we were responsible for developing Alcorn’s first nursing curriculum and leading the program to state-level approval. It was a very daunting experience, but with the support of Dr. Walter Washington, Dr. Rudolph Waters, and Dr. Norris Edney and the resources they provided, we successfully achieved state approval.”
Godley’s work to assist in building the foundation of the School of Nursing ignited her passion for accreditation.
“From that experience, I continued my involvement with curriculum development, program approval, and accreditation,” she said. I became a member of the Accreditation Review Committee at the state level in 1996 and at the national level in 2008.
As a member of the ACEN, Godley and fellow commissioners are charged with evaluating nursing education programs and ensuring they meet the highest standards. She believes the criteria for a nursing program to excel and provide the best education for future nurses is ensuring that nursing programs abide by standards and criteria set by national and state accrediting agencies.
“Accrediting agencies update their policies, standards, and criteria as needed and conduct a comprehensive review of all standards and criteria every four years. For schools of nursing to excel, faculty must know the most current standards and criteria used to evaluate the program’s quality,” she said.
Collaboration and communication are vital in nursing education. Godley plans to continue engagement with stakeholders, including faculty, students, and healthcare organizations, to gather diverse perspectives and promote continuous improvement in nursing education through the School of Nursing’s Advisory Council, which meets annually with key groups.
“The School of Nursing has an Advisory Council, which is composed of faculty, students, and community partners. During the Council meeting, attendees are presented with data describing the achievement level for each end-of-program student learning outcome, performance on the licensing and certification examinations, program completion rates, and job placement rates. The stakeholders are given an opportunity to provide their ideas for improving our students’ level of achievement. Annual reporting is also required by our accrediting agencies.”
The Waterproof, La. native began her career as a nurse educator in 1977.
Her 46 year career includes serving on the nursing faculty as an assistant professor of Nursing at Louisiana State University at Alexandria for two years and assistant professor of Nursing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for three years. She returned to Alcorn in 1995 as an assistant professor and chair of the Department of Associate Degree in Nursing for 10 years. In addition, she assumed the role of chair of the Graduate Nursing Program for three years and as dean of the School of Nursing for five years.
Godley began her educational journey at Grambling State University to pursue a degree in home economics, and changed my major to nursing. She transferred after completing Grambling’s pre-nursing curriculum and earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a Master of Science degree with a nurse educator and adult health focus from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. She earned a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in nursing research from Southern University and A & M College.
She is also an active member of the Planning, Management, and Evaluation Committee, Graduate Council, a member of the ASU and the School of Nursing Promotion, Rank, Tenure, and Leave Promotion Committees, the School of Nursing Administrative Council, and the School of Nursing Faculty Organization.
As the leading authority in nursing education accreditation, ACEN aims to be a supportive partner in strengthening the quality of nursing education and transition-to-practice programs.
