HAMILTON COLLEGE’S DES MOINES CAMPUS MERGES WITH
KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
Campus to Expand Online Education and Degree Offerings
DAVENPORT, Iowa, Oct. 30, 2007—Hamilton College and Kaplan University today announced the merger of their two institutions, providing students with a wider selection of program offerings and new online learning opportunities. The Des Moines campus is among seven Iowa and Nebraska campuses that are merging with the Davenport, Iowa-based University.
“Hamilton College has been Iowa’s oldest continuously operating career college specializing in business education,” said Kaplan University Provost David Clinefelter, Ph.D. “Now, we are building upon that legacy. We are committed to providing students with a high-quality education that offers flexibility by combining on-ground and online educational options for working adults. A Kaplan University education will give students the opportunity to enter or advance in some of the fastest-growing professional fields in Iowa."
Additional Hamilton campuses undergoing the transition include Iowa locations in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs and Mason City. The Nebraska campuses include Lincoln and Omaha. All of the campuses are now named Kaplan University.
The merger provides campus students greater flexibility to pursue blended learning options—taking courses on ground and online—at a regionally accredited institution. Traditional Hamilton College courses of study have included certificate and degree programs in allied health, business and criminal justice, among others. The new partnership allows students to explore similar degrees online with the benefit of additional programs, including master’s degrees, which were not previously available on the campuses.
“We are very excited about the educational opportunities for our current and future Des Moines students that will result from this merger,” said Des Moines Campus President Colleen McDermott. “Now, students can combine the advantages of attending classes at our local brick-and-mortar school, with the opportunity to explore newly expanded online degree programs that Kaplan University offers worldwide.
“We also want to assure our community that we will continue to work closely with local employers to prepare our students for fields that reflect employment needs in the greater Des Moines area,” added McDermott. “We provide our students with opportunities to learn career-specific skills that may help them become productive Iowa employees and citizens.”
Kaplan University will now have approximately 4,800 students throughout Iowa and Nebraska.
Hamilton College’s Des Moines campus was founded in 1988 to supplement the school’s campuses in Mason City and Cedar Rapids. Today, the campus offers associate degrees in business administration, computer information systems, criminal justice, interdisciplinary studies, medical assisting and paralegal; bachelor’s degrees in management; certificates in accounting specialist, medical transcriptionist technician; and diplomas in computer systems technician and practical nursing. The Des Moines campus serves nearly 700 students and employs almost 100 individuals among its faculty and staff. The campus is a member of the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Employers’ Council of Iowa, Technology Association of Iowa, Association of Business & Industry, Keeping Educated Youth in Des Moines and the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative.
About Hamilton College
Hamilton College has operated for more than a century as a local career-focused educational institution. The school is comprised of seven campuses throughout Iowa and Nebraska, serving nearly 3,700 students. Its campuses offer programs in areas including allied health, business, computer information systems, legal studies, nursing and travel. Hamilton College is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). For more information, visit http://www.kucampus.edu.
About Kaplan University
Kaplan University, based in Davenport, Iowa, is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The University provides market-driven, career-focused educational programs. Kaplan offers master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees as well as certificates through more than 100 programs online and on ground. Its programs are designed to provide students with the skills they need to qualify for employment in fields such as business, criminal justice, education, health care, information technology, education and legal studies.