Daniel Webster College

Daniel Webster College
Type For-profit[1]
Established 1965
Parent institution
 See introductory text
President Michael Diffily
Students 760
Location Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
42°46′37″N 071°30′52″W / 42.77694°N 71.51444°W / 42.77694; -71.51444Coordinates: 42°46′37″N 071°30′52″W / 42.77694°N 71.51444°W / 42.77694; -71.51444
Campus Suburban
Colors Blue and Red
Nickname Eagles
Mascot Eagle
Website www.dwc.edu

Daniel Webster College (DWC) is a college in Nashua, New Hampshire, United States, with a professions focus.[2] It was owned by ITT Educational Services, Inc., on the for-profit model.[1] The college declared bankruptcy in September 2016,[3] but is being operated by, and is set to be acquired by Southern New Hampshire University,[4] which is a non-profit university in Manchester, New Hampshire.

History

The college was established in 1965 as the New England Aeronautical Institute and was associated with Boire Field, now Nashua Airport. In 1978, it merged with its Daniel Webster Junior College division[5] to become Daniel Webster College.[6]

By the mid-2000s, the college was having financial problems and failing to meet "financial responsibility standards" of the United States Department of Education, a measure of economic viability. In 2009, Daniel Webster College received a score of just 0.5 out of 3 on that scale, with 1.5 considered passing.[7] Faced with the prospect of losing educational accreditation and federal funding, both of which would have forced the school to close,[7][8] it was acquired by ITT Educational Services, Inc., the parent company of the ITT Technical Institutes[9] in June 2009 for $29.3 million.[8][7][10] The new owner converted the college to a for-profit institution.[11]

In 2010, ITT Educational Services phased out the flight program and stopped accepting new flight students,[12] while allowing students currently enrolled in the program to complete their education. The last of these graduated in 2013.[13] Following the suspension of the flight program, student enrollment declined from 900 to the current rate of approximately 650 undergraduate students.[14]

In August 2016, the U.S. Department of Education prohibited ITT Educational Services from enrolling new students who use federal financial aid, because accreditor ACICS threatened to revoke accreditation for the 130 other schools that it runs. The schools suspended new enrollment, then on September 6, ceased operations.[15] The 2016-17 academic year at Daniel Webster was not threatened because it uses a different accreditor, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and a New Hampshire regulator said, “There is no consequence for Daniel Webster students now – they’re enrolled, classes have started, they will receive their federal financial aid”.[16]

However, the NEASC said the Department of Education's "extraordinary demands" imply that the college does not meet its standards either, and required the college to show cause why its NEASC accreditation should not be withdrawn as well. Daniel Webster agreed to submit such a report,[17] but by September 9, the federal government refused to release financial aid for Daniel Webster students.[4] Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) agreed to hire 87 faculty and staff to let the current academic year proceed. Seniors will be able to graduate from Daniel Webster, while underclassmen will have the option of continuing their studies at SNHU.[4] SNHU also offered to buy the Nashua campus.[18] Daniel Webster College, Inc. and the parent corporation filed for bankruptcy on September 16.[3]

Campus

The main campus is located on 54 acres (22 ha) next to Nashua Airport.[19] There are three academic buildings, a gymnasium, and an auditorium on the main campus in Nashua. Residences include four traditional dormitories and 16 townhouse-style residences.[19]

Academics

The school offers 17 campus-based B.S. degree programs, and 9 online degree programs including the M.B.A. The school is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.[20]

Daniel Webster's B.S. degree program in homeland security (4 year) helps students prepare for entry-level positions in the public or private sector that involve avoiding, preparing and responding to natural or man-made crises, in the U.S. or around the globe.[21]

Daniel Webster's aeronautical engineering and mechanical engineering programs are accredited by ABET (the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.).

Athletics

The Daniel Webster Eagles comprise fifteen NCAA Division III varsity athletic teams. Daniel Webster College is a charter member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) and a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). The men's teams are baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball; the women's teams are basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Indoor sports are played at the Mario Vagge Gymnasium. The campus has fields for baseball, softball, and soccer/lacrosse/field hockey. Ice hockey is played off-campus at a municipal rink.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daniel Webster College.
  1. 1 2 Lee, Stephanie (August 7, 2009). "Turnover at the Top". InsideHigherEd. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Carnegie Classification". Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  3. 1 2 ESI notice of bankruptcy filing (EDGAR)
  4. 1 2 3 Mark Hayward (2016-09-13). "SNHU to 'rescue' Daniel Webster College". New Hampshire Union-Leader. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  5. ↑ "Vagge made mark in Nashua" by Dean Shalhoup. Nashua Telegraph. Sunday, July 1, 2007.
  6. ↑ New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society: New Hampshire Aviation Event Timeline. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  7. 1 2 3 NashuaTelegraph.com: College officials cited finances, accreditation in court petition.
  8. 1 2 SeacoastOnline.com: N.H. College: Without sale, accreditation would go.
  9. ↑ Goldie Blumenstyk (2009-04-23). "Parent of ITT Technical Institutes Buys Nonprofit Daniel Webster College". Chronicle.com. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  10. ↑ Boston.com: Financial Pressure Forces Reinvention at Small Colleges.
  11. ↑ "Daniel Webster College President Fired". Aero-News. 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  12. ↑ Michael Brindley (2010-03-25). "ITT grounds DWC flight program". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  13. ↑ Danielle Curtis (2013-05-12). "Nashua's Daniel Webster College graduates last members of flight operations program". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  14. ↑ https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg01_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=239
  15. ↑ Shahien Nasiripour (2016-09-06). "ITT Technical Institutes shuts down, leaving a hefty bill". Bloomberg.
  16. ↑ Tina Forbes (2016-08-31). "Despite ban on parent ITT, DWC students can use federal aid". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  17. ↑ Daniel Webster College (2016-09-01). "Regulation FD Disclosure". Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  18. ↑ Kimberly Houghton (2016-09-19). "SNHU offers to buy Daniel Webster College campus". New Hampshire Union-Leader.
  19. 1 2 "Quick Facts". Daniel Webster College. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  20. ↑ Blumenstyk, Goldie (April 23, 2009). "Parent of ITT Technical Institutes Buys Nonprofit Daniel Webster College". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  21. ↑ Daniel Webster College: Undergraduate Homeland Security Degree Programs. Retrieved on 2015-02-03
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