Union College Changes Name

Union College will become Union Adventist University as of May 2024 after a vote by the institution's Board of Trustees on October 2, 2023. 

Union is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and has a rich culture of faith-based values aligned with the church’s mission to serve the world.

Union was founded in 1891 and is located in Lincoln, Nebraska.

York College Announces Name Change

York College in York, Nebraska announced on September 23, 2021 that it will become York University. Dr. Sam Smith (’95) shared the news during his inauguration as the institution’s 21st president.

Founded in 1890, York College has been affiliated with the Churches of Christ since 1956. 

The institution was previously affiliated since its founding with the United Brethren. However, in 1946, a merger with the Evangelical Church resulted in control passing to the newly-formed Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church. In 1954, that body decided to transfer its support to another EUB institution, Westmar University in LeMars, Iowa, at the end of the summer term, July 1, 1954. 

You can visit A History of York College to learn more.

Faith Baptist Bible College Celebrates Centennial

Faith Baptist Bible College & Theological Seminary is celebrating the centennial of its founding this year. 

The centennial web page includes planned events, a timeline, names of presidents, and several historic photographs.

The institution was founded as Omaha Bible Institute in 1921 and is now located in Ankeny, Iowa.

Omaha Bible Institute changed its name to Omaha Baptist Bible Institute in 1953 and was affiliated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. 

The institution changed its name to Omaha Baptist Bible College in 1960 and moved to Ankeny in 1967 as Faith Baptist Bible College.

Nebraska Christian College Closing

Nebraska Christian College in Papillion, Nebraska will be closing at the end of the current spring semester.

Nebraska Christian was founded in Norfolk, Nebraska in 1945. It relocated to Papillion, south of Omaha, in 2006. It merged with Hope International University of Fullerton, CA in 2016.

Tim Pearson of the Norfolk Daily News reported on the closure decision in "Low enrollment forces Nebraska Christian College to close," on April 2, 2020.

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.

University of Nebraska Celebrates 150th Anniversary

The Omaha World-Herald published "Morrill Act opened door for Nebraska's university," on January 6, 2019.  

The article provides a brief sketch of the founding of the University of Nebraska and notes, "On Feb. 15, 1869, taking advantage of the federal Morrill Land-Grant Act, the bill establishing the University of Nebraska unanimously passed both houses of the state legislature. Gov. David Butler signed the bill into law the same day."

You can learn more about the institution's history and various anniversary activities by visiting the Nebraska 150 web pages.  The Archives and Special Collections also offers a number of interesting collections: 

• Architectural Tour of UNL
• Nebraska U: A Collaborative History
• Photographs
• Yearbooks

Revisiting the History of John F. Kennedy College

Lisa Brichacek of Wahoo Newspaper reported in "College history revisited" on a presentation by Carl Wirth, a John F. Kennedy College graduate, who shared the history of the college and stories about his time on the campus in northwest Wahoo.  Wirth concludes that institution had a lasting impact on the community even though it was only open a short time.

John F. Kennedy College operated from from 1965-1975 in Wahoo, NE and occupied the campus that was previously the home of Luther Junior College. Luther, founded in 1883, merged with Midland College (Fremont, Nebraska) in 1962 and the name was changed to Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University.

You can also read previous College History Garden posts featuring the college:

• Tuesday, August 3, 2010, John F. Kennedy College (Nebraska)
• Wednesday, April 19, 2017, Remembering Nebraska's John F. Kennedy College

Grace University in Omaha Announces Closure

Grace University of Omaha, Nebraska announced that it will be closing after the current academic year.  Grace was founded in 1943 as Grace Bible Institute on the campus of the former Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Omaha. 

Paul Kuhlmann's The Story of Grace provides a history of the founding of the institution.

The name was changed in 1976 to Grace College of the Bible and the institution's board approved a name change to become Grace University on July 1, 1995.

The Omaha World-Herald "Grace University says it will halt operations at end of 2017-18 school year; financial, enrollment concerns blamed," with reporting by David Hendee.

Omaha's KETV-7 posted a segment, "Grace University: Enrollment drop, lack of programs force closure," with video images of the campus and reporting by Chinh Doan.

Grace University had been part of a plan announced in March 2017 for development of the campus of the former Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.  At the time, Grace planned to sell its campus in Omaha and relocate to Blair.  Katie Rohman has followed the developments closely and reports in "Grace University closure could expedite Dana development," on the impact of the announced closure of Grace.

Rick Seltzer of Inside Higher Ed also reported on Grace's closure in "Another Small University Closing."

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.

Historical Sketch of Colleges in Orleans, Nebraska during late 1800s

Jim McKee wrote a brief historical sketch of Orleans, Nebraska for the Lincoln Journal Star on March 23, 2017, "Orleans had a college, and was a county seat."

The Free Methodist College was founded in Orleans as a seminary in 1884.  It operated as a college from 1887-1893 and is considered as a predecessor for what became Central Christian College in McPherson, KS.  An institution affiliated with Methodist Episcopal Church used the Orleans buildings from 1893-1897 when property reverted to the Free Methodist Church.  The buildings were razed in 1914.

McKee also mentions another school, H.B. Breeches Business College, that opened in Orleans in 1886.

150th Anniversary Celebration begins for Peru State College

Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska is celebrating the sesquicentennial of its founding in 1867.  The institution opened as Nebraska State Normal school. The name changed to Nebraska State Teacher's College at Peru in 1921 and to Peru State Teachers College in 1949. Then in 1978, it became Peru State College.

The Omaha World-Herald published an article on the milestone, "'Nebraska's First College': Peru State kicks off 150th birthday celebration this weekend," by Dan Sullivan on June 16, 2017.  Sullivan also serves as the author of a sesquicentennial history, Nebraska’s First College:  Shaping the Future since 1867.  You can view Sullivan's history online or you can order a copy from the college web site.

An interesting 5:31 minute audio segment reporting on Peru State's history and the 150th anniversary is available on Nebraska's public radio NET News, "Peru State College Ready to Celebrate 150 Years in Southeast Nebraska."

Remembering Nebraska's John F. Kennedy College

The Omaha World-Herald reprinted an interesting article this week that originally appeared in the paper in 2003, "Nebraska's Kennedy College survived just 10 years but was a pioneer and powerhouse in women's sports."  David Harding, the article's author, indicates that the institution briefly and successfully provided opportunities for female student athletes.

A previous College History Garden post provides links to an alumni web site and another article on the college.  John F. Kennedy College operated from from 1965-1975 in Wahoo, NE. Kennedy College occupied the campus that was previously the home of Luther Junior College founded in 1883. Luther merged with Midland College (Fremont, Nebraska) in 1962 and the name was changed to Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University.

Tarkio, Missouri and Blair, Nebraska...sharing a common bond after colleges close

"Tarkio and Dana: 2 closed colleges," reflects excellent reporting by Katie Rohman, Managing Editor of the Washington County Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise in Blair, Nebraska as she contrasts the situation facing her community with the closing of Dana College and that of Tarkio, Missouri, after Tarkio College closed in 1992.

Rohman traveled to Tarkio for interviews with alumni and supporters.  Her article includes extensive comments from Robert Hughes who is serving as president of Tarkio College and leads an effort to reopen the institution.

Cities and Colleges in Territorial Nebraska

The Nebraska State Historical Society offers a .pdf of Ann Wilhite's "Cities and Colleges in the Promised Land: Territorial Nebraska, 1854-1867," published in the Nebraska History journal in 1986.  Wilhite provides an interesting review of the founding of early colleges in the state with the social and economic context supporting the various initiatives.  Her appendix includes an alphabetical list of all the private institutions with brief sketch that includes dates, founders, and any denominational ties.  Her end notes also include an extensive list of useful references.

The paper also includes several historical images, including this photograph of Nebraska University, Fontanelle that operated from 1856-1872.

A Town Struggles to find Alternative Uses for Campus of a Closed College

Katie Rohman, managing editor of the Washington County Enterprise and Pilot Tribune has several interesting articles where she interviews various people involved with efforts to develop the campus of the former Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.  

Rohman and her papers certainly deserve commendation for their reporting over the past couple of years and their service to the community struggling to deal with the reality of their situation.  The latest articles,"Interest in Dana campus remains," and "Dana's developer speaks out," highlight the difficulties of marketing and maintaining a campus.

You can also review previous posts on the College History Garden since the July 2010 announcement that Dana would close:

• Midland University will no longer plan to use campus of former Dana College [from March 19, 2016]
• Midland University Considers Purchase of Dana College Property (NE) [from April 27, 2013]
• Dana College #3 and Dana College #2 [from July 13, 2010]
• Dana College [from July 1, 2010]

Midland University will no longer plan to use campus of former Dana College

Midland University announced this week that it no longer plans to develop the former campus of Dana College located in Blair, NE.  Dana College was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and closed in 2010.  The KETV-7 report includes a brief video and the full text of Midland's announcement.

Katie Rohman's reporting for the Washington County Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise, "Midland won't reopen Dana campus" offers more details of Midland's efforts and those of the local Blair government to find alternative uses for the campus.  The article is accompanied by a short video of the campus and other photographs.

Wright Career College will be Closing

Josh Heck reported on March 10, 2016 for the Wichita Business Journal that Wright Career College will be closing.  The institution with headquarters in Overland Park, KS operates from sites in Tulsa and Oklahoma City in Oklahoma, Wichita, Kansas, and Omaha, Nebraska.

The institution was founded in 1921 as Dickinson Business School.  The name was changed to Wright Business School in 1990 and Wright Career College in 2007.

Mara Rose Williams with The Kansas City Star published a report the following day.

Central Community College in Hastings, Nebraska is Celebrating its 50th Anniversary

Central Community College in Hastings, NE is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1966.  At the time, it was Central Nebraska Vocational and Technical College.  It later merged with Platte County Junior College to become Central Technical Community College.

A History, 1984-2005, edited by college retirees John Dobrovolny of Hastings and Dave Fulton of Columbus is available on the institution's web site as a .pdf.   The book was completed for the institution's 40th anniversary and builds on a history completed by Oriel Kinley, "Central Community College: the First Two Decades,” published in 1984. 

Doane College will change name to Doane University

Doane College in Crete, Nebraska will become Doane University in May of 2016.  Doane was founded in 1872 and is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

North Platte Community College Celebrates Anniversary

North Platte Community College celebrates a 50 year anniversary of the founding on August 31, 1965.  The institution was initially known as North Platte Junior College.  A variety of interesting historical details are provided in an article for the North Platte Telegraph written by Heather Johnson.

The Nebraska legislature formed Mid-Plains Community College between 1973-1975 by bringing North Platte Junior College, McCook Junior College (founded in 1926 and Nebraska's oldest two-year college), and Mid-Plains Vocational Technical School (founded in 1967) together.  A detailed history of the institutions is available on the Mid-Plains CC website.

Commercial & Business Colleges in Nebraska, 1873-1950

The article by Oliver B. Pollak from Nebraska History, "Looking for 'Wide-Awake' Young People: Commercial Business Colleges in Nebraska, 1873-1950," is available as a .pdf file.  The article includes a number of images and the institutions mentioned include:   Aurora Business College, Boyles College (Omaha), Broken Bow Business College, Deshler Lutheran High School and Business College, Grand Island Business College, Great Western Business College (Omaha), Hastings Business College, Omaha Business College, Omaha Commercial College, Omaha Community College, Omaha School of Elocution, Van Sant School of Shorthand (Omaha), and York Business College and Normal School.

Nebraska Colleges that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names

This table below includes institutions that have closed, merged, or changed their names.  If you note a need for changing or updating information, please notify ray01brown@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

An index with links to separate pages for other states and countries is available.

There is a College History Garden Facebook group or you can view and follow multiple College History Garden boards on Pinterest or there is a board specifically devoted to Nebraska colleges.

Thanks for your interest and suggestions!