1. (a) The governing institution shall be accredited by the appropriate accrediting agency.
2. (b) There shall be an organizational chart which demonstrates the relationship of the nursing program to the governing institution, and indicates lines of responsibility and authority, and channels of communication.
3. (c) In colleges and universities, the program shall have comparable status with other academic units in such areas as salary, rank, promotion, tenure, leave, benefits, and professional development.
4. (d) The governing institution shall provide financial support and resources needed to operate a program which meets the legal and educational requirements of the board and fosters achievement of program goals. The financial resources shall support adequate educational facilities, equipment, and qualified administrative and instructional personnel.

5. (e) The program shall be administered by a registered nurse qualified according to §215.7(c) and (f) of this title (relating to Faculty Qualifications). The dean/director is accountable for the administration, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the nursing education program, to include:

   1. (1) development and maintenance of an environment conducive to the teaching/learning process;
   2. (2) liaison with and maintenance of the relationship with the central administration of the governing institution;
   3. (3) preparation and administration of the program budget;
   4. (4) leadership within the faculty for the development and implementation of curriculum;
   5. (5) facilitation of faculty development, recruitment, performance review, promotion and retention;
   6. (6) liaison with and maintenance of the relationship with the board;
   7. (7) support for an ongoing relationship with the community to establish affiliate agencies and to ensure responsiveness to community needs; and
   8. (8) provision for an adequate number of qualified faculty to teach in the nursing program.

6. (f) When the director of the program changes, the administrative officer of the governing institution shall submit to the board written notification of the change indicating that the new director meets the board's requirements.

   1. (1) A vitae, including an official transcript of the highest degree earned, shall be submitted with the notification of the change.
   2. (2) If an acting director is appointed to fill the position of the director, this appointment shall not exceed one year.
   3. (3) If the individual to be appointed as acting director does not meet the requirements for director as specified in §215.7(f) of this title (relating to Faculty Qualifications), a waiver of the board's requirements must be obtained prior to the appointment.
7. (g) There shall be at least one qualified dean/director for each basic program in nursing.
8. (h) There shall be at least one registered nurse who meets the requirements as stated in §215.7 of this title (relating to Faculty Qualifications) appointed to coordinate distance education initiative(s) which provide(s) the entire program of study.

Source Note:The provisions of this §215.6 adopted to be effective September 1, 1994, 18 TexReg 8905; amended to be effective February 3, 1998, 23 TexReg 752.