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Post Info TOPIC: My college is closing!!!


Celestial Moderator

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My college is closing!!!


Hi Ladies,

I have to vent here. I wanted to make everyone aware of something transpiring at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, MI. It seems they want to do downsize. Therefore, Davenport wants to close the South Bend, IN campus (that I attend along with Michael) and the Merrillville, IN from what I understand to be approximately a year-year and a half. However, they are still taking in new students!! This announcement was sent to me today via email from the main Davenport campus in Grand Rapids, MI

"Dear Linda,

We have been giving careful consideration to where our University can most efficiently and effectively offer locations as convenient options for our students. As part of this ongoing process, we have decided to develop an exit plan for our South Bend and Merrillville locations.

With this decision, we are committed to developing a plan that helps you complete your degree. This plan will include a tuition assistance program toward completing your degree as soon as possible. We strongly encourage you to meet soon with an advisor to review your individual situation. Should you have questions or like further information, please attend one of the forums on either Tuesday, April 8, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. in South Bend or Thursday, April 10, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. in Merrillville."

We are committed to helping you complete your higher education and fulfill your career goals after graduation. Your success remains our ultimate measure of success.

Sincerely,

Davenport University

---------------------------------------------------------------

BULL!

It seems to me that all they want to do is make money and not care about the students. As some of the students drive an hour or more in order to just to get to the South Bend campus since DU closed the Goshen, IN campus over a year ago.

With gas prices the way they are, there is no way can most students afford to commute to Grand Rapids. Not to mention adding in the cost of on/off campus housing, meals, time spent away from family, etc. Since they are already attending Davenport to begin with and live in this area. This is not like your son or daughter going away to college. This is about being uprooted from the Michiana area and the college they are currently attending at some point during their associates or bachelors degree program.

This does not even begin to account for what Davenport is doing to our professors! I cannot begin to imagine how they feel about this. Especially given this was done yesterday which was Thursday and there are no classes on Friday. So the professors cannot even begin to ask questions and get answers.

There is a reason why the D.U.E.S (Davenport University Excellence System) that DU uses has been reinvented into Davenport Undermines Educational Success.

I forwarded that same letter to every media locally I could. Resulting in anchor, Cindy Ward from WSBT (CBS) contacted me and asked me for contact information for the President and and Public Relations person contact info which I had to dig for.

To our shock, it was on WSBT 11 pm news tonight and 15 minutes later on a friend of mine from school sent me a text, asking me what the hell was going on and I called her back to fill her in.  There are 7 of us who are 5-7 classes from graduating! (Just M and I's immediate friends, lord knows how many of us total.) We are all worried about this. Ms. Ward told me that there would be more information tomorrow (Friday April 4th) on the news about it. Ugh

I have been attending that college for three years as of this past January. M has been attending for just a fraction before that. Can you imagine telling students, uh sorry but we are closing your campus and you will have to complete your degree either at our main campus or at a total different college??? steaming.gif




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Global Moderator

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So if I'm understanding this correctly, they are closing one of the satellite schools?  Gosh, that's terrible.  I hope you get the answers that you need because it looks like they haven't even given a time frame for the closure.  evileye



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Celestial Moderator

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Yes, you are correct Stacey. Two satellite schools will be closed and they are the last two that were left in the state of Indiana. There will be yet another one closed up near the main campus in Fulton sometime later they have yet to announce when.

I live 1.5 miles from the IN stateline and 8 minutes from the college. M lives an hour away from the college and nearly 4 hours from the main campus. Monday I have to contact area colleges to find out what credits can transfer just in case they close DU sooner then expected. We (M and I) have to have some type of backup plan. KWIM?


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Global Moderator

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Good thinking on your part in preparing for what may happen.  Is the school that you're attending now specialized in one or two fields like medical/dental?



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Celestial Moderator

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Posts: 367
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Stacey, we are technology, accounting,and  medical with an off set to that for clinical massage therapy.

I will be looking more into this Monday what I need to do next. Right now I am going to go find my bed and hopefully not wake up until tomorrow morning. I am just simply completely stressed out!

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Celestial Moderator

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Posts: 367
Date:
College closing update


Hiya,

As you know I am going to Davenport University. Last Thursday they told us they are closing our campus along with another one about a hour or so away due to those two campuses being in the red past two years.  I am sooo upset it is not even funny about them closing DU in South Bend/Mishawaka and how they are handling it.

I spent Tuesday night in a meeting with students and staff getting really no answers on a time line of when they are closing. FYI, DU big shots would not let the press in even though I had three lined up to be there. I had intentionally wrote to the three biggest TV networks locally as soon as I found out what was going on. The media waited for us in the parking lot to interview us. And DU even called in extra security to make sure media did not come in.

As a line of crap they wanted to give us, they told us they would give us $175.00 back if we took three classes (9 credit hours) starting this Spring. They are raising our registration fee to $100. and that left us with $75. Which does not even cover our text book for that class we have to take. It goes up from there to 18 credit hours... But tell me who can do that, have a family and work at the same time???

Many of us may either have to transfer to complete our degree to either another college completely or at another location for DU. The closest is in Kalamazoo.ugh! 1.5 hour away. You cannot begin to imagine what stress they put us under and the week before finals! frustrated.gif

Not to mention I had to take test 4 (second to final) that same night. Fortunately, our professor came to her senses and said we had gone through enough for one night, take the test home, complete it by next Tuesday the 15th. Yeah! I thought until I realized that all of the stuff needed to still be done that is suppose to be turned in with our final which is on the 15th as well. (We make packets of homework, worksheets, pre-tests, etc and give them to her all at once each time we take a test. So I am behind again. I have most of it done minus one quadratic equation that is giving me fits and not working out no matter how many times Michael or me work on it.)

Anyway, pray for me. Not that I pass my final but that I do not kill someone from the Grand Rapids office who made this decision.  The president of DU made up a 3 minute video expressing he was sorry but it had to be done due to money issues. After all it IS a business. grrr

That is all for my update right now. furious

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