Nonprofit Leadership Studies program receives accreditation

MURRAY, Ky. – The Nonprofit Leadership Studies program at Murray State University has been independently accredited for the first time in the program’s history. Accreditation is an important stamp of approval for an academic program, as it endorses the content and affirms that students will receive a quality education in what the program claims it is teaching. 

The accrediting body for studies in nonprofit and philanthropic studies is the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC).

NACC standards require that undergraduate programs focus on three pillars:

• A nonprofit/philanthropy-first approach to the subject matter, philosophy, and perspective, which refers to knowledge centered on the unique role and nature of the nonprofit and philanthropy sector and its institutions in society.

• A nonprofit-first undergraduate pedagogical subject matter relevant to the teaching emphasis for what an educated undergraduate student should know about the nonprofit/philanthropic sector without regard for declared degree and/or field of study.

• A nonprofit pedagogy utilizing terminology that synchronizes with the nomenclature and themes found in the 2015 NACC Undergraduate Curricular Guidelines.

NACC reviews a program in 13 categories before granting its accreditation. Those areas are: comparative perspectives on civil society, voluntary action, and philanthropy; foundations of civil society, voluntary action, and philanthropy; ethics and values; public policy, law, advocacy, and social change; governance and leadership; community service and engagement; leading and managing; finance and fundraising; financial management; human resources; marketing; assessment, evaluation, and decision making; and professional and career development.

Dr. Elise Kieffer, program director and assistant professor of Nonprofit Leadership Studies said, “Receiving this accreditation is the result of the hard work, dedication, and knowledge of the NLS faculty. It is an acknowledgment that what we are doing is impactful, and that we are preparing our students to enter the nonprofit workforce as change-making leaders. This is one more step that our program is taking to grow and increase our impact at Murray State and across west Kentucky.”

The Nonprofit Leadership Studies Program is a part of the Department of Organizational Communication and Leadership which is dedicated to “develop student competence in the application and synthesis of those communication processes, theories and skills that enable individuals and groups to organize effectively in an increasingly complex and global society.” As a part of the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business, the department and program are committed to advancing careers in dynamic environments of leadership and management. The NLS program seeks to help create experienced, adaptive, and effective nonprofit leaders, by promoting essential communication, coordination, and collaboration skills. These leadership principles offer evidence of aspirations for the underlying foundation of the NLS program and its implementation.

Learn more about the Nonprofit Leadership Studies program at murraystate.edu/nls.