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Davenport University history
Davenport University company history timeline
The college, located in downtown Grand Rapids, opened with sixteen students as the Grand Rapids Business College on January 25, 1866.
25, 1866, with 16 students registered for courses in bookkeeping, penmanship, business law and arithmetic – the standard office skills of the day.
The predecessor to the modern Davenport University was founded in 1866 by Conrad G. Swensburg, a Union Army Veteran who returned to Michigan from the Civil War.
Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., opened in 1868 and was the first American university to be divided into colleges offering different degrees.
The Kalamazoo Business College and Telegraphic Institute was founded by William F. Parsons in 1869.
When Johns Hopkins University opened in 1876, it was divided administratively into an undergraduate college and a graduate school.
But English universities founded after 1879—commonly called “red brick” universities—have no colleges.
After operating under various names and in several locations in downtown Grand Rapids, the institution was on the brink of closing its doors in 1910 when a new teacher, Michael E. Davenport, saved the day.
In 1928, the first Davenport basketball team was formed, introducing organized athletics to the school.
George “Potsy” Clark, creator and first coach of the Detroit Lions, accepted the job in 1940 to become the head football coach for the University of Grand Rapids Lancers.
(1) The Allison V. Armour Fund, established in 1941 by Mr.
Under Davenport's leadership, the school expanded statewide over the next several decades and became a non-profit institution in 1954.
The institute was purchased by Davenport in 1956 and became DU’s Kalamazoo location.
(2) The Charles D. Dickey Fund, established in 1958 by classmates, business associates, and friends of Mr.
7, 1978, the first person of color was elected to Davenport’s Board of Trustees.
The Student Center opened in 2008 and became the fourth LEED certified building on the main DU campus.
The Davenport campus on East Fulton was sold to Grand Rapids Community College in 2010 when Davenport University moved to the new Caledonia campus.
The Robert W. Sneden Center, completed in 2010, is an $8.5 million 41,000 sq ft (3,800 m) academic and arts extension connecting to the existing DeVos and Van Andel Academic Center.
For the 2011-12 academic year, the university was not ranked by and ranked 529th by . DU has full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Built near the W.A. Lettinga Main Campus, Davenport University's new Farmer's Athletic Complex was dedicated in March 2013.
The new Donald W. Maine College of Business facility at the W.A. Lettinga Campus opened in January of 2017, providing new space to accommodate growth in the College of Business and freeing up space in main academic building for growth in Davenport's other colleges.
By early 2017, the University announced that more than 95 percent of its $25 million "Investing in the Vision Campaign" goal had been achieved in just 70 percent of the allotted time.
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Davenport University competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Valley State University | 1960 | $370.9M | 200 | 54 |
| Central Michigan University | 1892 | $328.1M | 10 | 151 |
| Western Michigan University | 1903 | $381.9M | 6,094 | 140 |
| Lindenwood University | 1827 | $28.0M | 1,316 | 62 |
| Lawrence Technological University | 1932 | $67.9M | 1,191 | - |
| Northwood University | 1959 | $103.5M | 20 | 9 |
| Ferris State University | 1884 | $166.3M | 1,568 | 170 |
| Olivet Nazarene University | 1907 | $130.1M | 1,467 | 23 |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 1866 | $75.0M | 1,646 | - |
| Thomas More University | 1921 | $40.4M | 200 | 7 |
Davenport University history FAQs
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Davenport University may also be known as or be related to Carol L Cooper MD PC, DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY and Davenport University.