Grantham University is a for-profit university based in Lenexa, Kansas that offers online degree programs. It was founded in 1951 as Grantham Radio Licensing School. It currently comprises four schools: the Mark Skousen School of Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Nursing and Allied Health. Grantham University has been accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission since 1961. In the 2014-2015 period, Grantham had a retention rate (percentage of freshmen who return as sophomores in the following year) of 27% for full-time students and 22% for part-time students, a graduation rate of 44%, and an average annual net price of $12,825.
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History
Grantham University started as Grantham Radio License School, a private school founded in 1951, in Los Angeles. Its founder, Donald Grantham, was an engineer and World War II veteran who offered Federal Communications Commission License certification courses to other World War II veterans after returning from the war. Through the 1950s and 1960s additional campuses were opened in Washington, D.C.; Hollywood, California; Seattle, Washington; and Kansas City, Missouri. In 1961, the university received formal recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. The Grantham School of Electronics (GSE) became accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council. In 1968, the GSE was renamed to Grantham College of Engineering (GCE). A second Los Angeles campus was erected in 1974. In the following years GCE consolidated all of its activities to the Los Angeles location and switched to offering only distance learning programs. In 1990, GCE received approval to operate in Louisiana and relocated to Slidell. It was licensed by the Louisiana Board of Regents in 1993.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Grantham University's main campus in Slidell, Louisiana, destroying approximately eighty percent of their facilities. Days later, more than 140 employees had the university up and running again in temporary offices in Kansas City, Missouri. Many of them drove all night to make the 900 miles (1,400 km) journey to Kansas City. After Hurricane Katrina, Grantham continued to serve its more than 8,000 students, without interruptionâ€"as described in the Harvard International Review. The university decided to relocate to Kansas City permanently, and secured a certificate to operate from the Missouri Department of Higher Education. In June 2006, Grantham University signed articulation agreements with Bellevue University of Bellevue, Nebraska, and Central Wyoming College of Riverton, Wyoming. In September 2006, the university enrolled its oldest student, 83-year-old John "Jack" Childs. He had already earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at MIT in 1944. Grantham University in January 2007 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to accept educational credit earned through successful completion of DAU courses and programs as transfer or elective credit at Grantham University.
In 2006, eLearning World University Rankings ranked Grantham University 13th out of 27 US distance education programs. In November 2007, the university participates in numerous programs, such as GoArmyEd, Marine Corps Academic Explorer, and The Air University Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative (CCAF); has been recognized as a provisional school in the Navy College Distance Learning Program; and is a member of the National Association of Institutes for Military Education Services. In its 2008 edition, KMI Media Group/Military Advanced Education ranked the university's undergraduate program 10th out of 20 military-friendly universities. In November 2010, Grantham University was ranked 93 out of 100 in the “Best for Vets: Colleges 2010†list compiled by Military Times EDGE. . 4,000 institutions of higher learning were invited to submit information about their veterans programs, policies and resources, and then the top 100 schools were named. Colleges and universities were evaluated on four criteria: financial assistance, academic flexibility, campus culture, and support services. In 2010, the KMI Media Group listed Grantham in its Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities for the fourth year in a row. Grantham University received the Innovative Best Practice/New Program Award for its VIP2 and SSS training modules at the Annual Achievement Awards ceremony hosted by APSCU on June 8, 2011. Grantham graduate, First Sergeant Louis Sidney, Jr., was honored with the Hall of Fame Award. The university also received an honorable mention in the category of Community Service for its Grantham Gives Back charitable initiative. In January 2012, Military Advanced Education magazine listed Grantham University in its 5th Annual Guide to Top Military-Friendly Colleges & Universities. This marks the fifth consecutive year Grantham University has achieved the distinction.
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Academics
Mark Skousen School of Business
In December 2015, the school received specialized accreditation for its business programs through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). In April 2005, Grantham University renamed its online School of Business after Mark Skousen to "The Mark Skousen School of Business."
College of Engineering and Computer Science
The College of Engineering and Computer Science oversees number of different programs and courses, including associate degrees, bachelor's degrees and course offerings from project management, digital systems, physics, calculus, differential equations, and programming. In September 2016, the school received accreditation for its Bachelor of Science in electronics engineering technology program through the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college. The arts and sciences courses offered are aimed at strengthening basic skills in writing, speaking, critical thinking and quantitative reasoning. The arts courses include writing and communication, while the sciences include knowledge of the natural world and human civilization.
College of Nursing & Allied Health
The College of Nursing and Allied Health is the newest college. In 2010, Grantham University offered its first online RN-to-BSN program.
Faculty
Grantham University employs 28 full-time and 485 adjunct instructors and 359 full-time staff. Russ Meade received a Tegrity Grant from textbook publisher McGraw-Hill. He has taught and developed over 22 different courses on all major distance learning platforms and has presented numerous papers on “Quality and Distance Learning†at webCT and blackboard conferences. In 2009, Grantham University elected its newest Board of Governors member Thomas Rhame.
Tuition
In the 2014-2015 period, Grantham had an average net price of $12,825, representing the total cost of attendance (including tuition, supplies, and room and board) minus the average amount covered by institutional and governmental aid. The school offers a discounted price of $250 per study hour, and some additional assistance, to members of the nonprofit United States Army Warrant Officers Association.
References
External links
- Official website
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