Grantham University
Encyclopedia
Grantham University is a for-profit university based in Kansas City, Missouri
, that offers degree
programs online via distance education
. It was founded in 1951. The university is organized into 17 undergraduate and 16 graduate
programs by four different 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. The student body comes from all over the 50 U.S. states and 106 countries, including military and Department of Defense
personnel from any military installation. In 2006, Grantham University ranked 13th out of 27 U.S. distance education programs by eLearning World University Rankings. In its 2008 edition, KMI Media Group/Military Advanced Education ranked 10th the university's undergraduate program among the top 20 military-friendly national universities. In 2010, the KMI Media Group Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities placed the university among 371 military-friendly national universities again for the fourth year in a row. Grantham University has a 4.4% graduation rate within six years for bachelor degree seeking students.
veteran
who offered Federal Communications Commission
License certification courses to other World War II veterans after returning from the war. In 1961, the university received formal recognition by the U.S. Department of Education.
. In 1993, GCE relocated to the State of Louisiana in Slidell.
hit Grantham University's main campus in Slidell, Louisiana
, destroying approximately eighty percent of their facilities. Days later, over 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 (1,448.4 km) journey to Kansas City.
After Hurricane Katrina, Grantham continued to serve its more than 8,000 students, without interruption—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.
June 2006, Grantham University signed articulation
agreements with Bellevue University
of Bellevue, Nebraska
and Central Wyoming College
of Riverton, Wyoming
.
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. 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 November 2010, Grantham University was named a top university for veterans 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.
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.
Today, Grantham houses staff at two locations in Kansas City. The main location houses administrative offices and student support staff. The second location houses the book distribution center.
(DETC) since 1961.
s, doctorate
s, or professional engineer
licenses. Faculty are responsible for lecturing classes, advising both graduate and undergraduate students, and sitting on academic committees, as well as conducting original research. Among current faculty and teaching staff, Russ Meade, received the Tegrity Grant from 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”. In 2009, Grantham University elected its newest Board of Governors member Thomas Rham.
(FCC) radio engineer
had his own highly-rated television show called "Teen Date". "Teen Date" was aired on KPIC-TV CBS4 television station located in Roseburg, Oregon
. A 1961 graduate, Mr. Wichester's Tele-Car business became the fastest-growing mobile communications firm in the Northwest called "Tele-Car.
David “Bull” Baker (USAF Retired) who served on Grantham University’s Military Board of Advisors and Board of Governors the student newsletter stopped its print. Today, issues and news are accessed through Grantham University's new student and alumni portal called "GLife". This new technology is used as a variety of resources such as listing courses, new announcements, student account and alumni information.
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, that offers degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
programs online via distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
. It was founded in 1951. The university is organized into 17 undergraduate and 16 graduate
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
programs by four different 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. The student body comes from all over the 50 U.S. states and 106 countries, including military and Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
personnel from any military installation. In 2006, Grantham University ranked 13th out of 27 U.S. distance education programs by eLearning World University Rankings. In its 2008 edition, KMI Media Group/Military Advanced Education ranked 10th the university's undergraduate program among the top 20 military-friendly national universities. In 2010, the KMI Media Group Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities placed the university among 371 military-friendly national universities again for the fourth year in a row. Grantham University has a 4.4% graduation rate within six years for bachelor degree seeking students.
Beginnings
Grantham University started as Grantham Radio License School, a private school founded in 1951, in Los Angeles, CA. Its founder Donald Grantham was an engineer and World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran
War Veteran
War Veteran is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick. It was first published in If magazine in March 1955.-Plot summary:The plot concerns an old man who claims to have travelled back in time from a future in which Earth has lost a devastating war to its own Martian and Venusian colonies...
who offered Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
License certification courses to other World War II veterans after returning from the war. In 1961, the university received formal recognition by the U.S. Department of Education.
Expansion and growth
Through-out the 1960s and 1970s, additional campuses were opened in Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Washington; Kansas City, Missouri; and Hollywood, Florida. In 1961, 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 1990, GCE received its license to operate by the Louisiana Board of RegentsLouisiana Board of Regents
The Louisiana Board of Regents is a government agency in the U.S. state of Louisiana that is responsible for coordination of all public higher education in the state...
. In 1993, GCE relocated to the State of Louisiana in Slidell.
Recent history
In 2005, Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
hit Grantham University's main campus in Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...
, destroying approximately eighty percent of their facilities. Days later, over 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 (1,448.4 km) journey to Kansas City.
After Hurricane Katrina, Grantham continued to serve its more than 8,000 students, without interruption—as described in the Harvard International Review
Harvard International Review
The Harvard International Review is a quarterly journal of international relations published by the Harvard International Relations Council...
. The University decided to relocate to Kansas City permanently, and secured a certificate to operate from the Missouri Department of Higher Education.
June 2006, Grantham University signed articulation
Articulation (education)
In Australia and United States education, articulation or more specifically course articulation, refers to the process of comparing the content of courses that are transferred between postsecondary institutions such as TAFE institutes, colleges or universities...
agreements with Bellevue University
Bellevue University
Bellevue University is a private university located in Bellevue, Nebraska.-History:Creating a new college in Bellevue, Nebraska was No. 1 on the agenda for the Chamber of Commerce in June 1965. Local civic-leader and businessman Bill Brooks met with his fellow members of the chamber and lead the...
of Bellevue, Nebraska
Bellevue, Nebraska
Bellevue is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 50,137 at the 2010 census. Eight miles south of Omaha, Bellevue is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Originally settled in the 1830s, It was the first state capitol. Bellevue was incorporated in...
and Central Wyoming College
Central Wyoming College
Central Wyoming College is a comprehensive American community college located in Riverton, Wyoming. The college includes off-campus sites in Wyoming at Jackson, Lander, Thermopolis , Dubois and the Wind River Indian Reservation. It also provides internet classes. The institution offers 2-year...
of Riverton, Wyoming
Riverton, Wyoming
Riverton is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. It is both the largest city in the county and the largest within the historical boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The city's population was 9,310 at the 2000 census...
.
September 2006, the University enrolled its oldest student, 83 year old John "Jack" Childs. He had already earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at MIT in 1944.
Grantham University in January 2007 signed a Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
with the Defense Acquisition University
Defense Acquisition University
The Defense Acquisition University is a United States military training establishment that trains and enables the 147,705 military and civilian Department of Defense personnel in the fields of acquisition, technology, and logistics, including leadership, program management and bureaucratic...
(DAU) to accept educational credit earned through successful completion of DAU courses and programs as transfer or elective credit at Grantham University. 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 November 2010, Grantham University was named a top university for veterans 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.
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.
Today, Grantham houses staff at two locations in Kansas City. The main location houses administrative offices and student support staff. The second location houses the book distribution center.
Accreditation
Grantham University has been nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training CouncilDistance Education and Training Council
The Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education institutions.- History :...
(DETC) since 1961.
Students
Grantham University's current student enrollment is 13,690. Tuition and fees for 2011 undergraduate tuition costs are $265 per credit hour for in-state and out-of-state tuition that includes a Textbook and Software Grant. 2011 graduate tuition costs are $325 per credit hour for in-state tuition, and out-of-state tuition. Today, over 77 corporations and government agencies pay tuition reimbursement to the University.Faculty
Grantham University employs over 20 full-time and 213 part-time faculty. Many of them hold specialized certifications, master's degreeMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s, doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
s, or professional engineer
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
licenses. Faculty are responsible for lecturing classes, advising both graduate and undergraduate students, and sitting on academic committees, as well as conducting original research. Among current faculty and teaching staff, Russ Meade, received the Tegrity Grant from McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
. 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”. In 2009, Grantham University elected its newest Board of Governors member Thomas Rham.
Alumni
Grantham alumni have been employed in the fields of government, law, science, business, writing, computer science, and health care,among others. Several alumni have achieved great accomplishments and businesses. A 1960 graduate, Dick Booth, a licensed Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) radio engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
had his own highly-rated television show called "Teen Date". "Teen Date" was aired on KPIC-TV CBS4 television station located in Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. A 1961 graduate, Mr. Wichester's Tele-Car business became the fastest-growing mobile communications firm in the Northwest called "Tele-Car.
Media
The campus newsletter, the News & Views, was published monthly as student and alumni news articles and events during the first day of the month of the school year following the academic calendar. (No issues are published during Spring Break or Winter Break.) The News & Views started its volume two issue one in late March 2005. The majority of subscribers are students that could read the Grantham University's important issues, student spotlights, and organizational activities worldwide. The newsletter also was used to celebrate accomplishments, reflect on the past, and most importantly, inform its students towards the University's on-going future direction. In April 2009, after the passing of Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
David “Bull” Baker (USAF Retired) who served on Grantham University’s Military Board of Advisors and Board of Governors the student newsletter stopped its print. Today, issues and news are accessed through Grantham University's new student and alumni portal called "GLife". This new technology is used as a variety of resources such as listing courses, new announcements, student account and alumni information.