For Immediate Release:
September 1, 2017
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
Laurel Ridge’s associate registered nursing program has been accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The process began two years ago with a candidacy period during which nursing program leaders conducted a self-study report.
ACEN personnel made a site visit to Laurel Ridge during the spring semester, and the program was reviewed by a panel, as well as a board of commissioners. The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation both recognize ACEN as the accrediting body when it comes to nursing programs.
Many graduate nursing programs and some employers require that their students and new hires have graduated from an accredited body, according to Laurel Ridge Health Professions Dean Patricia 
Lawson.
“Having this accreditation will help graduates of Laurel Ridge’s RN program to move forward in their careers,” she says.
There are more than 150 registered nursing students between the Middletown and Fauquier campuses.
ACEN is located at 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Ga. 30326. ACEN can be contacted by phone: (404) 975-5000 or by email: [email protected] or via the web: http://www.acenursing.org.
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With four locations — Middletown, Warrenton, Luray-Page County and most recently, Vint Hill— the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College (Laurel Ridge) is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College. Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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