For the 2019-20 academic year, the Nursing department has established several planning priorities which continue to need attention in order to fulfill areas identified as needing development following visits from our accrediting agencies in the spring of 2016 (New York State Education Department and the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing - (ACEN). The ACEN Board of Commissioners identified the following as areas needing development: 1. Ensure fiscal resources are sustainable and sufficient to ensure the achievement of student learning outcomes and program outcomes; 2. Develop and implement strategies to improve the program completion rates. Our outcomes on completion rates and NCLEX pass rates have experienced a decline in the past year, perhaps attributable to the loss of qualified full-time faculty and difficulty filling open positions. In order to meet our goals, and to maintain the rigor and quality of the program, open faculty positions will need to be filled with highly qualified candidates.  In addition, student support activities will need to be expanded, including increased skill lab support staff hours; and we will need to make a significant investment in our equipment and technology to keep pace with a rapidly changing health care environment.