IHL trustees approve nursing accreditation, new degree programs, insurance plan, contracts and a campus planning project at April meeting

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning approved a series of academic and operational items at its April meeting, including stage‑3 accreditation for a new nursing program, multiple new degree programs across state universities, amendments to University of Mississippi Medical Center contracts, a student health insurance option for system students and preplanning funds for an athletic training facility.

Board staff described the board’s authority over nursing accreditation and recommended several routine approvals. "The Mississippi code empowers the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning to establish rules and regulations and promulgate uniform standards for accreditation of schools of nursing," said Dr. Melissa Temple, board staff, at the start of the academic affairs item. Board members voted to approve each recommendation with no recorded roll‑call opposition.

Why it matters: the actions create new degree pathways for students across the state, expand clinical and administrative capacity at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), lock in an employee/student insurance option, and authorize design planning for a Mississippi University for Women athletics training facility. Several items are tied to external accreditation standards or to vendor agreements that affect UMMC operations.

Most significant academic approvals

The board approved stage 3 status to allow Blue Mountain Christian University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program to qualify for full accreditation following a site visit and a final CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) report. Board staff reported program outcomes that included a 91 percent completion rate, a 100 percent first‑time pass rate on the NCLEX‑RN and a 100 percent employment rate for graduates; board staff recommended approval and the trustees approved the stage‑3 application.

Trustees also approved a proposed amendment to board policy 602 (freshman admission requirements) to align IHL admission rules with…