MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- It began nearly 90 years ago as a
trade school to help train young adults for careers in a number of fields to
work for companies in the Twin Cities area. It grew steadily and expanded
over the years, and was recognized in 1991 as one of the top 10 outstanding
technical schools in the United States by the National Center for Research in
Vocational Education.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020726/DUNCTLOGO )
But times have changed and so has Dunwoody Institute, prompting the school
to change its name to Dunwoody College of Technology. "It's time to call
ourselves a college, because we've been operating more like one for a long
time. We even offer two-year associate degrees in many of our 20 career
programs," said Dr. C. Ben Wright, president.
"Most of our students now earn 32 or more credits in Liberal Arts, which
is required for an associate degree and in many cases they are transferable to
a four-year school to earn a Bachelor's degree," he continued. "Conversely,
we continue to attract a number of undergraduates from other colleges and
universities who apply their earned credits toward an associate degree from
us.
"We've also become increasingly aware of the fact that many prospective
students and parents are confused about the word institute, especially when
they want their children to go to a college. That barrier is gone with our
new name."
Staying Ahead Of The Curve
Industries that Dunwoody serves have also changed dramatically in recent
years. "Fields such as manufacturing and automotive service, which usually
conjure up images of grease smears and oil stains, now require trained
technicians to program, operate and repair highly technical equipment," Wright
continued.
"As we move more into the 21st century, we will see even greater levels of
technology in all fields. Our name simply needed to be more in tune with all
of this, which is why we conducted research that ultimately led to the name
Dunwoody College of Technology."
Wright himself represents another major change at the new college. In
July, he replaced Frank Starke, who served in that capacity for seven years.
Starke has been named president emeritus by the school's Board of Trustees and
will remain on staff to assist in a variety of projects. Wright has been vice
president of institutional advancement at Dunwoody for 17 years, heading its
fundraising campaigns, and directing its marketing and alumni programs.
The new name will become official on September 9, the beginning of the
fall quarter. Unveiling new signage and a number of other events are being
planned to commemorate the occasion. Details are to be announced in a few
weeks.
Widespread Economic Impact
Enrollment this fall is expected to be about 1,300 students with another
2,700 registering for Continued Learning and night school classes. Since
opening its doors in 1914, Dunwoody estimates that it has trained more than
300,000 people.
Dunwoody is also a well-known name with many employers who offer
above-average paying jobs. Despite the economic downturn, this spring its
graduates on average had three to four job opportunities for immediate
employment.
The college's career programs range from manufacturing to computer
networking to flexography, one of the high-demand areas in the printing field.
In addition, Dunwoody has a reputation for providing its students with
direction for life, which has inspired many alumni to ultimately start their
own successful businesses.
Dunwoody was recently named College of the Year by the Flexographic
Technical Association. Earlier this year the school's Machine Tool Technology
career program was certified by the National Institute for Metalworking
Skills, Inc., a nonprofit organization that supports the development of a
skilled workforce for the metalworking industry.
Also this spring the college became the first educational institution in
Minnesota to receive a Principal's Award from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter
of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). The high honor recognized
the school's Architectural Drafting and Estimating Program for its outstanding
and continuous support of CSI's principles and standards.
The Dunwoody Legacy
The college is named after the late William Hood Dunwoody, a prominent
Minneapolis businessman who left a large sum of money in his will to establish
an institute of learning for students in a wide range of fields and to support
the city's growing industries. The new school opened in the old Central High
School in Minneapolis and offered classes in machine shop, cabinet making,
millwork and printing with about 80 students enrolled.
Dunwoody was instrumental in establishing the Washburn Crosby Company,
which evolved into General Mills and WCCO Radio and Television. He and his
wife also left a major bequest to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which
continues to use the money as an endowment for acquiring artworks from around
the world.
Construction of Dunwoody's present building began in 1917 on what was then
Superior Boulevard, facing the Parade Grounds, which was on the western edge
of the city at the time. The campus has expanded over the years, the street
was changed to Dunwoody Boulevard, Parade Stadium was constructed across the
street, and the Walker Art Center and Guthrie Theatre moved into the
neighborhood.
Dunwoody Institute played a significant role during the two world wars.
It trained more than 8,600 men during WWI for mechanical and technical
positions in the Army and Navy. During WWII, the school operated 24 hours a
day to meet the demand for training defense workers and in 1943 Dunwoody
enrolled its 100,000th student. Enrollment skyrocketed after the war, as
thousands of veterans took advantage of the G.I. Bill to get training for
careers in civilian life.
More information about Dunwoody, its career offerings, Continued Learning
and online learning programs, financial aid packages, registration
requirements and much more are available by clicking onto its web site at
http://www.dunwoody.edu .
SOURCE Dunwoody Institute
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Related links:
http://www.dunwoody.edu
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AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 212-782-2840
CONTACT:
Jan Knutsen of Dunwoody Institute,
+1-612-374-5800, or Dick Parrish of MindShare Communications,
+1-952-449-9997, for Dunwoody Institute
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