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.

Closure Announced by Northwestern College

 Northwestern College in Oak Lawn, IL announced this past week that it will close. 

Northwestern Business College was founded in 1902 on what was then 1747 N. Robey Street in Chicago by J.F. Fish. And while it changed owners and locations over the years, it remained a family-owned educational enterprise. 

The college relocated to the Logan Square area of Chicago after 1918 and was sold a time or two before Myrtle M. Voss assumed ownership in the 1930s. In 1958 Violet and Edward Schumacher purchased the college. Then in 1977, Lawrence Schumacher and Nancy Schumacher Kucienski formed Lancelot Inc. and purchased the college. The curriculum expanded to offer programs in computers and word processing. 

The institution relocated in in 1981 to the northwest side of Chicago and in 1987 a second campus was opened in Palos Hills, IL. Then in 2001 a third campus was added in Naperville. Accreditation was gained through The Higher Learning Commission. Lawrence Schumacher assumed sole ownership in 2007 and the name changed to Northwestern College. The institution moved in 2022 to the Oak Lwn campus on the corner of 95th and Cicero Avenues.

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.

Illinois Valley Community College Celebrates Centennial

Illinois Valley Community College is celebrating the centennial of its founding in 1924 with classes held in the La Salle-Peru High School. IVCC President Tracy Morris dedicated a mural as part of activities surrounding the anniversary and you can read more in an article, "History in the details: IVCC dedicates 100th anniversary mural. Dots represent 160 programs taught in the past, present at the college," with reporting by Maribeth M. Wilson. 

The institution changed its name from La Salle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College in 1966. IVCC is the second oldest public community college in Illinois and you can learn more the College History page of their website.

Role of MacMurray College Students and Faculty During WWII

McKenna Servis, Coordinator of the MacMurray College Archive Collection and Jacksonville Area Museum Curator, has completed the research that focuses on MacMurray's involvement in WW II. MacMurray was still an all-women’s college at the time so the focus is completely about women and the war effort.

You can read more in a post by WLDS radio, "Website Established For Research on MacMurray College’s Involvement in WWII," on February 2, 2023.

MacMurray College was located in Jacksonville, IL and closed almost two years ago in 2020.

The MacMurray College During World War II website includes photos and descriptions of the ways in which students and faculty were impacted and contributed to the war effort.

Carthage College Marks 175th Anniversary with Placement of Marker

The Fort Madison (IA) Daily Democrat published "Carthage College celebrates 175 years" on October 24, 2022. The article coincides with the unveiling of a historical marker in Carthage, IL. 

Carthage College President John Swallow along with alumni and friends of Carthage College gathered at the entrance pillars to the former campus in Carthage to mark the college’s 175th anniversary.

While Carthage College has operated in Kenosha, WI since 1962, it was founded in Hillsboro, IL in 1847 as The Literary and Technological Institute of the Lutheran Church of the Far West. 

It was soon became known as Hillsboro College. It then moved to Springfield, IL in 1852 and operated at Illinois State University before moving to Carthage, IL in 1870. 

Campus buildings remain prominent in Carthage. Robert Morris College occupied the campus from 1965 until it moved to the Chicago area. 

You can visit the Carthage College History page to read more about the institution.

Lincoln College Announces it will be Closing

 Lincoln College in Lincoln, IL announced this week that it will be closing.

Lincoln College was founded as Lincoln University in 1865. It affiliated with the Decatur College and Industrial School (now Millikin University) in Decatur, Illinois in 1901 and the name of the school was changed from Lincoln University to Lincoln College of the James Millikin University. 

Lincoln converted to 2-year institution in 1929 and operated as a junior college. In 2001, Lincoln College sought and received permission from the Higher Learning Commission to return to the institution’s original mission of offering four-year baccalaureate degrees.

Read more about the closing in The Pantagraph, "'My heart dropped': Students, community still reeling from Lincoln College closure news," published March 31, 2022.

Elmhurst University: Celebrating 150th Anniversary

Elmhurst University is celebrating the sesquicentennial of its founding in 1871 during the current academic year. You can visit the Elmhurst 150th web page for links to information about remaining events and other resources. 

The About Elmhurst's Sesquicentennial page offers a number of interesting videos including a gallery talk by Dan Bartlett, curator of the Elmhurst History Museum, "An Ever-widening Circle: Elmhurst U at 150."

The Elmhurst History Museum page includes links to their exhibit celebrating Elmhurst University at 150 Years and their new mobile app Tour of Elmhurst University Campus...a walking tour around Elmhurst.

Loyola University in Chicago Celebrates 150th Anniversary

Loyola University in Chicago is celebrating the sesquicentennial of its founding in 1870 as St. Ignatius College. You can visit the 150th Anniversary Celebration web page for more information and links to additional resources. Planned activities conclude May 2021.

Sesquicentennial Scholars worked to create a digital exhibit built on four themes — Loyola Through the Years, Faith and Social Justice, Student Life, and Campuses.

 

Illinois Community College Preserves Its History

The Commercial-News of Danville, IL posted an interesting article "DACC records stories of its history on video," on an initiative at Danville Area Community College to preserve the memories of community members who played a significant role in the college’s history. 

Video interviews were edited to create the DACC Legends series, offering an opportunity for the entire community, DACC alums, and retirees to enjoy the history of the college and the area.

Several videos are available either by searching with a web search engine using,  “DACC Legends YouTube”  or via the college website at https://www.dacc.edu/legends.



DACC initially opened as an extension center of the University of Illinois with classes in the high school. When the center closed in 1949, courses continued with support of the public school system. The junior college separated and was reorganized as Danville Junior College in 1966. The name then changed to Danville Area Community College in 1979.

MacMurray College Announces Closure

MacMurray College in Jacksonville, IL announced this week that it will be closing at the end of the spring 2020 semester.


The institution was founded as Illinois Conference Female College in 1846. The name was shortened to Illinois Female College in 1863 and then changed to Illinois Woman's College in 1899. It became MacMurray College for Women in 1930 and MacMurray College in 1953. In 1955, trustees established MacMurray College for Men which later merged with MacMurray College in 1969.

The Internet Archive offers digital versions of A History of MacMurray College: The First Hundred Years written by Mary Watters and published in 1947.

You can also find other digital collections for MacMurray hosted by various archives:

• Digital Images
• Scrapbooks
• Yearbooks
• College Greetings
• Alumnae News and Record
• Madrigal & Choir Audio Recordings

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.

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.

Governors State University Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Governors State University in Illinois is beginning a 50th anniversary celebration with a Birthday Bash on July 17, 2019 and a number of other 50th Anniversary Events scheduled through the rest of the year.

Marilyn Thomas of the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle authored an excellent summary of the history, "GSU/50: Governors State University grows from a great experiment to a 4-year university." 

Thomas describes the nature of the new institution during its initial few years when "...staff set about designing an innovative university. Students were co-learners and professors were coordinators. Classes were called modules. Modules didn’t meet for semesters — they were eight-week sessions. Nobody earned grades; a transcript spelled out a student’s competencies."

Governors State now operates in a more traditional manner, yet has a track record for innovation that includes early adoption of instructional television to more recent additions of doctoral programs in nursing, physical and occupational therapy, and several education fields.

You can view an interesting short YouTube video prepared for the 40th anniversary, "Governors State University--40 Year Anniversary."

Elmhurst College will Change Name

Elmhurst College became Elmhurst University on June 30, 2020.

The institution was founded as Elmhurst Pro-Seminary and Academy in 1871 and was initially affiliated with the German Evangelical Synod of the Northwest that later became part of the United Church of Christ. The name was changed to Elmhurst Academy and Junior College in 1919, and to Elmhurst College in 1924. It is located in Elmhurst, IL and enrolls 3,841 students. Of these, 2,875 are undergraduates.

You can also read more about the name change in a WBEZ post with reporting by Kate McGee, "As Colleges Close, Elmhurst College Grows And Rebrands As A University."

Oakton Community College Prepares for 50th Anniversary Celebration

Oakton Community College will launch a yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary with a Founder's Day opening ceremony and reception, starting 5 p.m. Thursday, June 25th.

You can learn more about the Founder's Day activities and other events planned for the anniversary by visiting Oakton's 50th anniversary web page.

The suburban Chicago Daily Herald also published an article on June 3, 2019 with more details, "Oakton Community College begins 50th anniversary celebration June 25."

Oakton Community College was founded in 1969 and maintains campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie, Illinois and serves 8,907 students.

Northern Illinois University Prepares for 125th Anniversary

Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL is preparing for its 125th anniversary celebration that will begin in January 2020.

The institution was founded in 1895 as Northern Illinois State Normal School.  The name was changed to Northern Illinois State Teachers College in 1921, to Northern Illinois State College in 1955, and then to Northern Illinois University in 1957.

An anniversary web page has been created where you can learn more about preparations and find other resources.

You can also learn more about the university and access a variety of historical resources through the University Archives.

New copies of Education in Transition: The History of Northern Illinois University written by Earl W. Hayter can be ordered from the Northern Illinois University Press or you can find used copies through AbeBooks or similar websites.  Hayter's book provides a history of the institutions first seventy-five years.

SIU Carbondale begins 150th Anniversary Celebration

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is launching a yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1869 as Southern Illinois Normal University.  The name changed to SIU Carbondale after 1947.

You can visit SIU's 150th Anniversary web pages to find out more about the celebration.

The SIU Press will soon be releasing a special photo-filled commemorative book, Southern Illinois University at 150 Years: Growth, Accomplishments and Challenges edited by John S. Jackson, visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and political science professor emeritus. The book will feature contributions by a number of other individuals affiliated with the university and community.

The SIU Archives and Morris Library also offers a wide variety of historical resources.  You can find links to an early institutional history published in 1899 among an extensive array of digital collections.

History of Olivet Nazarene University

You can find a fascinating video "History of Olivet Nazarene University" on YouTube. 

Olivet Nazarene was founded as Illinois Holiness University in Olivet, IL in 1907. The name changed to Olivet University in 1915 and to Olivet College in 1921. The institution relocated to Bourbonnais, IL after a devastating fire in 1939 and the name changed to Olivet Nazarene University with this relocation to a property formerly owned by Viator College. The original campus in Olivet, IL was operated as a Catholic seminary and retreat center for a time.

You can learn more by visiting the Olivet Nazarene website and there is also a well developed Wikipedia entry for Olivet Nazarene University with much more institutional history.

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.

Kishwaukee College is Celebrating its 50th Anniversary

Kishwaukee College in Malta, IL is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1968. 

You can visit the 50th anniversary web pages for access to a centennial video, .pdf of a newspaper insert with timeline and historical photographs, web-based timeline, and a calendar of centennial events.

In Shades of Sepia: The Story of Jubilee College...

I just finished reading In Shades of Sepia: The Story of Jubilee College as Told Through Letters and Other Documents and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the institution.  Sue Swanson is the author and she focuses the early part of her book on Philander Chase and his family as they founded Jubilee College during his service as the first Episcopal Bishop of Illinois.   She begins with Chase's early life, including the time where he previously served as the founder of Kenyon College in Ohio.  Chapters are also devoted to what life was like at Jubilee, brief sketches for students and faculty, and descriptions of various buildings associated with the college.  

Actual construction on the college began in 1839 and expanded to include a dozen or more structures on a 3,500-acre tract of land. Jubilee College was comprised of a theological seminary, a college, a classical preparatory school for boys, and a “seminary” for girls, as well as small farming operations.  The college struggled as a frontier institution throughout its existence and no longer offered classes after 1862.  It opened briefly after the Civil War before closing again in 1868.  The site was also home to several other educational ventures before it was abandoned after 1912 and was ultimately given to the state of Illinois in 1935.  It is now operated as a state historic site adjacent to Jubilee College State Park.

While Swanson's book will be of interest to anyone wanting to know more about Jubilee College and the people who served there.  It is also a useful account for those who would like to learn more of life at a small frontier institution during the 19th century.  Swanson incorporated a number of photographs and includes a helpful list of sources.

You can contact the author at sueswa@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book.  The price will be $10.00 plus postage with proceeds going to the Friends of Jubilee College Historic Site.

For those who would like to learn more about efforts to maintain the site and preserve the history or the college, there is a Facebook page at Friends of Jubilee College Historic Site.

You can also find a few more photographs of the the historic site in a College History Garden post from last month, Open House at Jubilee College Historic Site this Weekend.