Wilberforce University (OH)

Charlie Tyson authored a post for Inside Higher ED on June 30, 2014 providing context for the problems confronting Wilberforce University.

Wilberforce University (OH) Receives Notice from HLC

Arundi Venkayya reported June 25, 2014 on the WHIO web site that Wilberforce University received a "Show-Cause" order from the Higher Learning Commission this week.

An earlier article by Afi-odelia E. Scruggs on the Eye on Ohio web site provides a detailed description of problems Wilberforce faced this past fall.

Corinthian Colleges Under Pressure, Could Close

Update #4:  An Inside Higher Ed post report on apparent extension of deadline for Corinthian.

Update #3:  An Inside Higher Ed post by Paul Fain on June 30, 2014 focuses on negotiations over the weekend to close or sell campuses.

Update #2:  An Inside Higher Ed post by Paul Fain on June 26, 2014 provides context and explores implications for the for-profit sector.

Update:  Corinthian Colleges announced on Monday that it had reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.

Katy Murphy reported yesterday for the San Jose Mercury News on a warning issued by Corinthian Colleges.  Corinthian is the corporate parent for Heald College, Everest College, Everest Institute and WyoTech and enrolls over 75,000 students at more than 105 sites across the U.S. and Canada.  The corporate web site indicates that Corinthian was founded in 1995.

An article at Inside Higher Ed by Paul Fain offers additional insight and context.

American Commercial College Closing in Texas

Justin Kree reports for KWES-TV about the closing of the last American Commercial College site in Odessa, TX.  Campuses in Wichita Falls and San Angelo also closed a few days ago.  A campus in Shreveport, LA closed in 2012 and Lubbock and Abilene campuses closed in 2011.

A previous May 22, 2014 report on the Texomas.com site indicated that the president of the college plead guilty to theft of government funds by converting student loan funds for institutional use.

New Name Adopted at Fredonia

The Buffalo News reports that the State University of New York at Fredonia will be the new name for the institution previously known as Fredonia State College and SUNY Fredonia.

The institution was initially founded in 1826 as Fredonia Academy.  In 1866 the academy merged with the new state supported Fredonia Normal School.  The name changed to Fredonia State Teachers College in the 1940's and the institution joined the State University of New York System in 1948.

Mergers Continue within Technical College System of Georgia

The State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia announced the approval on June 5, 2014 for a merger of Moultrie Technical College [Moultrie, GA] with Southwest Georgia Technical College [Thomasville].

The press release also provides a history of recent mergers:  

• On July 1, 2009, Chattahoochee Technical College, North Metro Technical College and Appalachian Technical College merged and became the new Chattahoochee Technical College; West Central Technical College and West Georgia Technical College formed the new West Georgia Technical College; Coosa Valley Technical College and Northwestern Technical College became Georgia Northwestern Technical College; and Southeastern Technical College and Swainsboro Technical College merged into the new Southeastern Technical College.
• On July 1, 2010, Griffin Technical College and Flint River Technical College joined as Southern Crescent Technical College; and Valdosta Technical College and East Central Technical College became Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
• On July 1, 2011, Sandersville Technical College and Heart of Georgia Technical College merged and became Oconee Fall Line Technical College.
• On July 1, 2013, Central Georgia Technical College and Middle Georgia Technical College merged as the new Central Georgia Technical College.
• Altamaha Technical College [Jesup, GA] and Okenfenokee Technical College [Waycross, GA] will merge to become Coastal Pines Technical College on July 1, 2014.

Removing "Community" from Names of Colleges

Mary Beth Marklein focuses on the trend to drop "community" from college names in her June 4, 2014 article at USA Today.  Seattle Colleges and Henry Ford College are cited as examples.

German Methodist Colleges

An interesting article by Louis Haselmayer, "German Methodist Colleges in the West," focuses on several institutions created to provide higher education in a German-speaking environment.  The article first appeared in the July 1964 issue of the Methodist History and is now available through a digital archive hosted by the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church.

Haselmayer focuses attention on:

• German Wallace College, OH [affiliated with Baldwin University, Berea, OH and ultimately merged to become Baldwin-Wallace College after 1913]
• Central Wesleyan College, Warrenton, MO
• German College, Mt. Pleasant, IA [founded in 1879 and closed in 1909; after closure, the building became part of Iowa Wesleyan College and the library and records went to Central Wesleyan College]
• German College, Charles City, IA [ founded as the German-English College in 1868 in Galena, Il.  It moved to Charles City, IA, in 1891 and merged with Morningside College in 1914]
• Blinn Memorial College, Brenham, TX [founded in 1883 and later became a public junior college after 1937]

Bulletins of Charles City College (IA) and Catalogue for German-English College (IL)

The Internet Archive offers a couple of College Bulletins published by Charles City College (IA) in a variety of formats...the Bulletin from 1911 and a later one from October, 1912 is focused on the business department and provides an interesting view of the curriculum and faculty.

Charles City College was initially founded as the German-English College in 1868 in Galena, Il.  It moved to Charles City, IA, in 1891 and merged with Morningside College in 1914.  The Internet Archive also has an 1889-1890 Catalogue from this predecessor institution.

Butler College and Texas College Featured in Tyler, TX African American Heritage Trail

Betty Waters authored an article for the Tyler Morning Telegraph on February 27, 2014 featuring a new African American Heritage Trail honoring contributions to the history and growth of the city.

The trail includes 21 landmarks and markers and includes a couple of institutions of higher education.  Texas College and Butler College are also recognized with excellent short documentary videos offered by the City of Tyler Historic Preservation Board.



Texas College continues to serve east central Texas.  It is affiliated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and was founded in 1894.



Butler College was a Baptist institution founded at East Texas Baptist Academy and operated from 1905-1972.