American Academy of Art College Announced Closure in early July

The American Academy of Art College announced that it will be closing. You can read more in "After 101 Years, Chicago’s American Academy of Art College to Close," posted on July 2, 2024 by WTTO with reporting by Marc Vitali.

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If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers, and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Rasmussen College Changes Its Name

Angie Wieck reports on Inforum website that "Rasmussen College celebrates recent transition to Rasmussen University."

The for-profit institution initially opened in 1900 as Rasmussen Practical School of Business in Stillwater, MN. By 1902, the institution was using St. Paul, MN as its mailing address.

It has since expanded to offer programs on 23 sites in six states and online.

Individuals can also consult the Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names to see more information on institutions that have closed or changed names. There are separate pages for each of the states and the District of Columbia.

Cambridge College Plans to Acquire New England College of Business and Finance

Cambridge College today announced the planned acquisition of the New England College of Business and Finance (NECB), which will integrate NECB’s programs into Cambridge College’s operations beginning Spring 2020. This transaction is subject to final regulatory and accreditation approvals by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and the New England Commission of Higher Education.

Cambridge College was initially founded in 1971 as the Institute of Open Education within Newton College of the Sacred Heart. It later operated as part of the Antioch University Network and became independent in 1981 as Cambridge College.

NECB was founded in 1909 as the American Banking Institute. It received degree-granting authority in 1979 from the Board of Regents of Higher Education in Massachusetts to offer an associate degree in business administration and received accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and College in 1985. The name changed to The New England Banking Institute in 1988 and then to  New England College of Finance in 1998. It became the New England College of Business and Finance in 2008.

You can read more in an Inside Higher Education post by Rick Seltzer on March 6, 2020, "Cambridge College Acquires Online Business School."

Midstate College Announces Closure

WEEK-TV reported this week that Midstate College in Peoria, IL will be closing, "Local Colleges Taking Action after Midstate Closure." You can also see a video clip from WMBD-TV, "Midstate College to Permanently Close Next Month."

      

Midstate operated as a four year, primarily associates, private for-profit college and enrolled 226 students in its most recent IPEDS reporting.  It was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.  The institution's web page currently offers additional information on the closure.

Midstate traced its roots to two commercial schools that opened in 1857 and 1865 in Peoria. These two schools merged in 1868 and were purchased by G.W. Brown in 1888. The institution was renamed Brown's Business College of Commerce.

Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.), 20 May 1919. 

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

It was acquired by W.L. Reed in 1913 and later sold again in 1960 when it was renamed Midstate College of Commerce. The name last changed in 1970 to Midstate College.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Salter College, For-Profit in Massachusetts will Close

An NBC News post on July 11, 2019 indicates that "For-profit Salter College, accused of defrauding students, will close and pay $1.6 million in debt relief."

Reporter Corky Siemaszko indicated that Salter College and its parent company, Premier Education Group, agreed to provide $1.6 million in debt relief to students and cease operations in Massachusetts by the end of 2019.

Earlier in the day, NBC News in cooperation with The Hechinger Report posted "'They just saw me as a dollar sign': How some certificate schools profit from vulnerable students."

Premier Education Group agreed that is will no longer enroll Massachusetts students, including through its internet and other remote programs. Premier operated the Salter School in Fall River and Malden, Salter College in West Boylston and Chicopee, and the Branford Hall Career Institute in Springfield.

Salter College was founded by Mrs. Dorothy Lowell Salter in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1937 as the Salter Secretarial School. In January 2002 Salter was acquired by Premier Education Group, located in Branford, Connecticut. In April 2002, branch campuses were added in Malden and Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The Fall River branch was added in the summer of 2003. Then in February 2007, Salter School was granted authority to change its name to Salter College

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Mt. Sierra College, California For-Profit Abruptly Closes

The Monrovia Weekly reported that Mt. Sierra College in Monrovia, CA abruptly closed,
"Financial Woes Shutter Mt. Sierra College In Monrovia."  The article includes an embedded video segment with reporting on the closure by KTTV-11, the Fox affiliate in Los Angeles.

The for-profit institution was founded in 1990.  It was initially known as Computer Technology Institute and briefly as Pasadena Career Institute. The college changed its name to Mt Sierra Career College in January 1991. The most recent reported enrollment to IPEDS was 202 students.

The Mt. Sierra College website offers links for forms needed to order transcripts and academic records.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Vatterott College Closes

Celeste Bott of the St. Louis Post Dispatch in "Vatterott immediately closes all campuses" and Wes Johnson of the Springfield (MO) News-Leader in "All Vatterott College campuses - including Springfield's - suddenly close Monday," are reporting on the immediate closure of Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc. Vatterott was a for-profit institution and with academic programs in culinary arts, automotive trades, and allied health fields. The company with roughly 950 employees, is headquartered in Olivett, MO.  Letters to students and employees are posted on the Vatterott College web site.

Vatterott campuses were located in seven states and enrolled just over 3,500 students. Vatterott College was initially founded in 1969 in St. Louis, MO as Urban Technical Centers, Inc.  It later operated as Vatterott & Sullivan Educational Center and Vatterott Educational Centers before adopting the name of Vatterott College in 1989.

Campus	City	State	Enrollment
Vatterott College-Appling Farms	Memphis	Tennessee	255
Vatterott College-Berkeley	Berkeley	Missouri	545
Vatterott College-Cleveland	Broadview Heights	Ohio	117
Vatterott College-Des Moines	Des Moines	Iowa	34
Vatterott College-Dividend	Memphis	Tennessee	689
Vatterott College-ex'treme Institute by Nelly	St. Louis	Missouri	245
Vatterott College-Fairview Heights	Fairview Heights	Illinois	238
Vatterott College-Joplin	Joplin	Missouri	140
Vatterott College-Kansas City	Kansas City	Missouri	260
Vatterott College-Oklahoma City	Warr Acres	Oklahoma	108
Vatterott College-Quincy	Quincy	Illinois	94
Vatterott College-Springfield	Springfield	Missouri	162
Vatterott College-St Charles	St Charles	Missouri	220
Vatterott College-Sunset Hills	Sunset Hills	Missouri	316
Vatterott College-Tulsa	Tulsa	Oklahoma	88
Vatterott College-Wichita	Wichita	Kansas	46
		Total	3,557

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Education Corporation of America Closes over 75 Campuses

The Education Corporation of America headquarter in Birmingham, AL announced today that it will close more than 75 sites that enroll roughly 20,000 students.  The company began the process of notifying students and employees.  The sites include those operating as Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Institute, Golf Academy of America and Virginia College.

You can read more at Inside Higher Ed in an article that was posted earlier today, "Large For-Profit Chain to Close."  WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL posted a short video with an article, "Virginia College closing in Montgomery, nationwide."

KCRA-TV in Sacramento, CA posted "Brightwood College closing Modesto, Sacramento campuses" on its website.

Thirty-two sites are listed for Brightwood College in eight states on the IPEDS College Navigator site and twenty-seven sites in eleven states are listed for Virginia Colleges.

	Brightwood College Sites	Virginia College Sites
Alabama		4
California	10
Florida		3
Georgia		4
Indiana	2
Louisiana		2
Maryland	3
Mississippi		2
Nevada	1
North Carolina	1	1
Ohio	1
Oklahoma		1
South Carolina		5
Tennessee	1	2
Texas	13	2
Virginia		1
Totals	32	27
# states	8	11

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Fountainhead College of Technology Closes

Fountainhead College of Technology in Knoxville, TN announced that it will be closing.  You can read a brief statement that is currently posted on the institution's website.  

There is also a brief video posted by WATE, Knoxville's ABC affiliate, "Fountainhead College of Technology closing."

The institution was founded as the Tennessee Radio Service School in 1947 at 422 Gay Street in Knoxville.  The following year, the name was changed to Tennessee Institute of Electronics.  The name change once more to Fountainhead College of Technology in 2003.

Fountainhead offered Associate Degrees in Electronic Technology, Information Technology, Computer Programming, and Health Information Management. Baccalaureate Degrees were awarded in Application Development, Electronic Wireless Communication, and in Network Security and Forensics.  Approximately 88 students were enrolled.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Harrison College Closes

Harrison College abruptly closed last week.  Harrison was headquartered in Indianapolis and offered programs through ten sites in Indiana: Anderson, Columbus, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis (3), Lafayette, and Terre Haute.  Two additional sites in Morrisville, NC and Grove City, OH will also close.

The history of Harrison College is traced to Marion, IN and Marion Business College that began operation in the 1890s.  Marion Business College served as the initial institution in 1902 for what later became known as Indiana Business College.  Logansport Business College was purchased and Kokomo Business College was begun in 1902. IBC grew in the early 20th century to include other schools that operated under their respective names or collectively as IBC: Municie Business College, Anderson Business College, Columbus Business College, Richmond Business College, Lafayette Business College, Crawfordsville Business College, Washington Business College, Newcastle Business College, Vincennes Business College, and Central Business College in Indianapolis. The name changed to Harrison College in 2009.

WSYX-TV in Columbus, OH reported, "Students outraged Harrison College closing without warning," and WISH-TV of Indianapolis posted, "Harrison College to close after 116 years."

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions.  Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Lincoln College of New England Announces Closure

 

Lincoln College of New England, a small for-profit institution, announced that it will no longer enroll students and intends to close at the end of 2018.

The institution was founded in 1966 as Briarwood Secretarial School in Bristol, Connecticut.  Courses were offered the following year at a site in Southington, Ct.  The school then received its state charter in 1979 as Briarwood College.  Baccalaureate programs were add in 2005 for criminal justice and funeral service management.  

Briarwood College was acquired by Lincoln Educational Services Corporation in 2008.  The following year LESC acquired Clemens College in Suffield, CT and merged the two institutions to form Lincoln College of New England.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions.  Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

You can also read more about the closure at "Lincoln College in Southington to close at end of year," from the Meriden, CT Record-Journal.

King's College in Charlotte Announces Closure

King's College, a small for-profit institution in Charlotte, North Caroline announced that it will be closing.  The institution was founded in 1901 in Raleigh, NC.  Courses were offered in Charlotte the following year in 1902.  Current enrollment is roughly 350 students.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions.  Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

advertisement for King's Business College from 

The Progressive Farmer (Winston-Salem, NC) on January 26, 1904

Postcard King's Business College in Raleigh, NC

source: North Carolina Postcard collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

King's College, Charlotte, NC

Salem International University Changes Its Name

The State Journal of Clarksburg, West Virginia posted "Honoring history, heritage was reason for university name change," indicating that Salem International University recently changed its name to Salem University.  Salem University is a small, for-profit institution and enrolls roughly 850 students.

The institution, located in Salem, WV, was founded as Salem College in 1888.  It joined with Teikyo University Foundation to form Salem-Teikyo University in 1989. The name was changed to Salem International University in 2000 and to Salem University in 2018

Kendall College Acquired by National Louis University

The Chicago Tribune reported on January 18, 2018 "Kendall College sells programs and name to National Louis University for $1."  Kendall has been operating since 2005 as a for-profit institution and was owned by Laureate Education, Inc.

National Louis University posted a statement on its website, "National Louis University announcesagreement with Kendall College and Laureate Education, Inc. to transferKendall's current programs to NLU, contingent on regulatory approvals."

Kendall College was founded in 1934 when a Swedish seminary and a Danish-Norwegian seminary located in downtown Evanston, IL agreed to merge their assets and form the Evanston Collegiate Institute.  The name changed to Kendall College in 1950.  Kendall initially offered two year degrees and baccalaureate programs were added after 1977.  It was known for its School of Culinary Arts which was started in 1985.  Kendall moved to downtown Chicago in 2005 from Evanston and also became part of Laureate International Universities.

Ashley A. Smith of Inside Higher Ed covered the sale of Kendall and other recent changes by Laureate in "Laureate Shifts Focus" that was published on January 31, 2018.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions.  Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Selling the Campus of Daniel Webster College

New Hampshire Public Radio posted an interesting article last week by Paige Sutherland, "For Sale: A 53-Acre College Campus (With Airplane Hangar)," on the sale of the Daniel Webster College campus in Nashua, NH.  The for-profit institution closed after the 2016-17 academic year.  The article is accompanied by a five-minute audio version.  It also includes a wonderful graphic of the state with the colleges that have closed since 1969.  Readers can click to find out when an institution closed and the current use of each campus.

You can also find links to earlier reporting from NHPR on Daniel Webster's closing:

• "After Nashua's Daniel Webster College Signs Off, What's Next For Students And Staff?" By RICK GANLEY & MICHAEL BRINDLEY • MAY 26, 2017
• "SNHU Decides Against Buying Former Daniel Webster Campus," By PAIGE SUTHERLAND • JUL 31, 2017
• "Nashua Aldermen Say 'No' to Buying Daniel Webster College Campus," By PAIGE SUTHERLAND • SEP 13, 2017
• "Looking to Buy a College Campus? There's One for Sale in Nashua," By PAIGE SUTHERLAND • AUG 30, 2017

If you are interested in recent trends for closures and mergers, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Duluth Business University Announces Closure

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports in "Duluth's oldest university closing after 126 years" that Duluth Business University will close.  The for-profit institution was founded in 1891.

A 3-minute video on the closure, "Duluth Business University to Close After 126 years," is available on Duluth's Fox21 website that includes an interview with DBU's president and owner, Jim Gessner.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

West Virginia Business College Closes

Jeff Jenkins reported on July 10, 2017 for the Charleston, WV Metro News Network, "Email says WV Business College has closed."  Jenkins quotes an email from James Weir, West Virginia Business College general manager, that was sent to students.  The institution was no longer accredited and was experiencing declining enrollment.

The institution was founded in 1881 as Elliott Commercial College in Clarksburg, WV. The name change in 1911 to West Virginia Business College. A branch campus was established in Wheeling in 1989 and was later designated as the main campus. The initial branch in Clarksburg then moved to Nutter Fort, WV.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Hickey College in St. Louis Plans to Close

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that "Hickey College in St. Louis stops accepting new student applications."  Reporter Kristen Taketa indicates that the institution will close in roughly eighteen months permitting current students to complete their programs.  Taketa also indicates that Hickey was founded in 1933 by Dr. Margaret Hickey.  The institution is currently owned by Bradford Schools, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA. 

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Westech College in California Closes

The Los Angeles Times initially reported on April 3, 2017 that Westech College has closed.  The paper notes in "Westech College abruptly shuts down, leaving students scrambling for refunds and answers," that the institution operated three California locations in Fontana, Moreno Valley, and Victorville.  Students at all the locations will be impacted by the sudden closure.  Westech reported enrollment of 357 students for fall 2015 in its last reporting to IPEDS.

The Fontana Herald News also published, "Westech abruptly closes down all three campuses, including main office in Fontana," with reporting by Russell Ingold.

Westech was found in 1988 and was initially located in Pomona, CA.  It relocated to Ontario, CA in January 2004 and opened a satellite location in Victorville, CA in September, 2005 and in Moreno Valley, CA in January 2008. The main campus relocated to Fontana, CA in June 2013.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Vantage College in Texas Announces Closure

KVIA-TV in El Paso, TX reports that Vantage College is closing.  The institution was founded in 2006 as Excel Learning Center in El Paso.  At the time of closing, Vantage operated sites in Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso.  Total enrollment was roughly 300 students.

The Vantage College website also offers a statement regarding the closure.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.