Rose State College Preparing for Anniversary in 2020

Rose State College is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1970. The institution is located in Midwest City, OK and was initially called Mid-Del Junior College.

It was renamed Oscar Rose Junior College in memory of the Midwest City-Del City Superintendent of Schools and became Rose State College in 1983.

You can visit the college website to view a brief video of Dr. Jeanie Webb meeting with Oklahoman reporter, Dave Morris, to highlight some of the events taking place on campus this year. 

There is also another "Celebrating 50 Years" video where Dr. Webb reflects on the anniversary in the context of where Rose State is aiming to become in the future.

An earlier College History Garden post on December 12, 2013, featured a video history of Rose State College that is available on YouTube.

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.

Bacone College Announces Temporary Suspension of Operations

Update: Tulsa, OK Newson6.com published, "Bacone College Gears Up For Fall Semester Despite Shut Down 'Rumors'," on August 13,2018 with reporting by Taylor Newcomb.

* * * *

Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma announced that week that it will be suspending operations and hopes to secure sufficient resources to open in the fall.

Tulsa NewsonSix.com posted a short video, "Bacone College Closing, Laying Off Staff Unless Funding Is Found Soon," with reporter Justin Shrair interviewing college president Franklin Willis. The video also features images of the campus.

The MVSKOKEMEDIA.com website posted an article, "Bacone announces temporary closure, layoffs," with reporting by Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton.  She notes that in April, Bacone  "...selected a new president, Ferlin Clark, who is scheduled to take office later this year...While president of the Navajo Nation’s Dine College in Tsaile, Arizona, Clark oversaw a multi-million dollar capital campaign to facilitate the institution’s transition to a four-year school."

The institution was founded at Cherokee Baptist Mission in Tahlequah, OK. It moved to Muskogee in 1885 and was renamed Bacone Indian University after its founder and first president. The name later changed to Bacone College. Bacone is affilitated with the American Baptist Churches, USA.

St. Gregory's University in Oklahoma announces Closure

St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, OK announced this past week that it will close at the end of the current fall semester.  The institution was founded by Benedictine monks at Sacred Heart Mission in 1875.  It relocated to Shawnee, OK in 1916 and was initially chartered as the Catholic University of Oklahoma.  It was renamed St. Gregory's College.  Later after 1997, the name changed to St. Gregory's University.

You can read more at Inside Higher Ed in Scott Jaschik's article, "Another Small Private College Will Close."

Patrina Adger interviewed students and staff and her video is posted on the KOCO-TV News website, "Students at St. Gregory's University looking for answers after news of closure."

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.

Closure of Comanche Nation College Announced

KSWO, the ABC affiliate in Lawton, OK reports that Comanche Nation College will close.  The 2-year, public institution enrolled just under 50 students.  It was initially chartered in 2002 and opened in 2005.

Scott Raines of The Lawton Constitution also reports on the decision by the Comanche Nation business committee in "Tribe Closing College."

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.

Heritage College is Closing with Sites in Ten States

KWCH-TV in Wichita, KS, KMBC-TV in Kansas City, MO and a number of other news outlets reported today on the closure of Heritage College.  Heritage was a private for-profit and offered certificates and associates degrees in a variety of health care fields.

 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.  The institution operated sites in ten cities and all appear to have closed.

Career Point College is Closing

KSAT-TV in San Antonio, TX reported that Career Point College closed in "Career Point College students, teachers receive letter."  The largest Career Point College site was in San Antonio with 1,549 students reported last year.  Other sites included Austin, TX and Tulsa, OK.

Career Point College was initially founded in 1921 to offer secretarial training in Kansas City, MO.  The San Antonio campus opened in 1983 and ultimately became the main focus of activity.  The institution's name was changed to Career Point Business School in 1989 and to Career Point Institute in 2001.  Six years later the name was changed to Career Point College in 2007.

 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.  

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.

Tulsa Community College Historian is Featured

Tulsa Community College (TCC) historian, Marina Metevelis, is featured in an article for the student news site, The Connection.  Metevelis has served the institution throughout the 45 year history of the institution.  TCC was founded in 1970 and assumed the current name in 1996.

The Oklahoma Historical Society web site offers a historical sketch of TCC written by John Hall.

Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma colleges.

Thanks for your interest and suggestions!

Enid Business College (OK)

Enid Business College was founded in 1894 by W.N. Stephenson.  It was located for a time on the west side of the square.

Large ad from June 12, 1910 Enid Wave-Democrat.

Another ad for the institution from the September 1, 1912 Oklahoma Farmer.

An interesting 1937 WPA interview with James E. George is available.  George joined the staff as an instructor in 1904 and became sole owner the following year.  His interview includes references to students, instructors and several locations for the institution within Enid over the years.

Rose State College History (OK)

A video history of Rose State College in Midwest City, OK is available on YouTube.  The institution was founded in 1970 as Oscar Rose Junior College.  The name changed to Rose State College in 1983.

Henry Kendall College, University of Tulsa (OK)

Guy William Logsdon's book, The University of Tulsa: A History, 1882-1972 was published in 1977 for the Oklahoma Heritage Association by the University of Oklahoma Press.  The initial chapters include histories of predecessor institutions: the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls [1882-1894], Henry Kendall College [1894-1907 in Muskogee and 1907-1921 in Tulsa].  Logsdon include a list of trustees and officers in the appendix along with an extensive bibliography.

OK Higher Education Heritage Society

The Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society (OHEHS) joins with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) and the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) to develop and maintain a comprehensive higher education collection of archival records and artifacts.  OHEHS is devoted to preserving the history of higher education in Oklahoma and works to promote enhanced awareness of higher education's vital role in the social, cultural, and economic development of our state.  OHEHS is located in the Oklahoma History Center at the Oklahoma State Capitol Complex.

Columbia Christian College & Cascade College (OR) #2

Two very interesting histories of Columbia Christian College and Cascade College in Portland, OR are available on the web site of Oklahoma Christian University as .pdf files.

The first, Navigating the Mighty Columbia, Columbia Christian College: A Comprehensive History, A Collaborative Work of Love, was written by Bonnie Miller and covers the period from 1944 through the closure of the initial institution.  Dr. Gary Tandy authored the second, The Northwest Corner of Heaven, A History of Cascade College 1994-2009 and focuses on the period when Oklahoma Christian University supported Cascade College as a branch campus.

I enjoyed the writing of both authors and felt they successfully communicated the amazing stories of the many people who came together in various ways to do the improbable and create a college...twice.  While each attempt came up short, both Miller and Tandy certainly capture the shared sense of purpose and convey the emotional commitments that combined to change the lives of all involved.

An earlier College History Garden post includes links to a couple of newspaper articles that cover the institution's financial issues and the sale of the property after closure.

Junior College Movement in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture offers a historical sketch of the junior college movement in the state that began in the early 1900's.

There is also a link in the bibliography to Frank A. Balyeat's article, "Junior Colleges in Oklahoma," from the spring 1948 issue of The Chronicles of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Information on Records of Closed Institutions

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education maintain a web page with a list of closed institutions and contacts for requesting student records.  Information is provided for:  American Christian College, American Christian College and Seminary, Bryan Institute, City College, Flaming Rainbow University, Metropolitan College, Oklahoma City Southwestern College, Oklahoma Junior College, Oklahoma Missionary Baptist College, and Phillips University.