Davenport University

Davenport University is a private institution with locations in Michigan and an extensive online presence. It was established in 1866 by Conrad Swensburg, and now its students may earn degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels in fields including business, technology, health care, and graduate studies (MBA).

Conrad G. Swensburg, a veteran of the Union Army who had returned to Michigan after the Civil War, established the institution that would become modern-day Davenport University in 1866. On January 25, 1866, the Grand Rapids Business College began in the city's downtown with a total of sixteen freshmen. Bookkeeping, handwriting, business law, and basic arithmetic were only some of the office-related subjects taught at the institution.

Over its early history, the institution was known by a few different names and was housed in a few different sites around Grand Rapids. The institution was on its last legs by 1910. New instructor Michael E. Davenport rallied the surviving faculty and administrators and finally assumed control of the struggling institution.

The institution quickly expanded across the state of Michigan in the middle to late 20th century, obtaining accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission—North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1976.