About Spring Arbor University/ Our History
Early Years
Development of the University
New Programs and Locations
Cross-Cultural and Graduate Studies
Early Years
Spring Arbor University was founded in 1873 by leaders of the Free Methodist Church. Called to minister to the poor, the early Free Methodists advocated freedom for slaves and free pews for all worshippers. In 1860, the year Abraham Lincoln was elected President, B. T. Roberts organized the Free Methodist denomination in New York, and three years later Edward Payson Hart began evangelistic meetings in Michigan. Hart was the driving force behind the establishment of Spring Arbor Seminary--an academy for elementary and secondary grades. Located near the site of a former Potawatomi Indian village, the academy was built upon "some old school property" that once belonged to Michigan Central College (now Hillsdale College). Devoted to the "promotion of earnest Christianity and sound, solid learning," Spring Arbor Seminary was open to all children, regardless of "religious convictions or beliefs."Development of the University
The school's enrollment grew to around 200 students in 1907, declined during World War I, but recovered after the armistice. As one of its principals, H.A. Millican, observed, the academy remained committed to its original aim to "urge holiness of life and thorough Christian training, together with the highest type of mental culture." In 1923, as the school celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, the Board of Trustees voted to add a junior college to the academy. Some first- and second-year courses were offered over the next few terms, and in 1929 the school became Spring Arbor Seminary and Junior College. As the emphasis shifted toward higher education, primary and intermediate classes were discontinued in 1930.In 1960, when the school achieved accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Trustees changed the name of the institution to Spring Arbor University. Soon the high school program was dropped, as plans were developed to make Spring Arbor a four-year university.
Under the leadership of President David McKenna, Spring Arbor University launched its four-year program in 1963, graduating its first senior class in 1965. During the transition to a four-year institution, the faculty adopted a statement, known as the Spring Arbor Concept, that set the philosophical parameters for the curriculum. The Concept is represented by a new logo, recently adopted by the university, fusing the lamp of learning, the cross of Christ, and the circular image of the world.
New Programs and Locations
Just prior to the inauguration of the four-year institution, the university's radio station (WSAE) went on the air; a television studio was added in the early 1980s, when Spring Arbor opened a Communication program. In 1979, Spring Arbor was invited to offer baccalaureate classes at the State Prison of Southern Michigan. Today, the Prisoner Education Program provides degree programs to inmates at three complexes in Jackson and at the Scott Correctional Facility for Women in Plymouth, Michigan. Approximately 240 inmates are currently enrolled in Spring Arbor's prison courses.In the early 1980s the college began offering the first of its degree-completion programs for adult learners in nearby Jackson. The initial class of students to earn a degree in Management of Human Resources (MHR) graduated in 1983. New programs and new locations soon followed as the university developed degrees in health-related fields and opened sites in Lansing and Flint. Over the past decade Spring Arbor has become a leader in the design of degree-completion programs, and the university has a network of nineteen affiliate colleges that have adopted or adapted the Spring Arbor curriculum. At present, the college's School of Alternative Education operates nine academic centers--Battle Creek, Flint, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Lansing, Metro-Detroit, Metro-Toledo and Traverse City--and variously offers five degree programs through those centers--Management and Organizational Development (formerly MHR), Family Life Education, Management of Health Services, Management of Health Promotion, and Leadership in Business Administration. Currently, over 900 students are enrolled in these programs.
Cross-Cultural and Graduate Studies
During the late 1980s Spring Arbor developed its cross-cultural studies program, and the college has gained recognition for its efforts to offer courses in international settings. Each year students and faculty from the central campus travel to such places as Kenya, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico, Israel, Jamaica, and western Europe. Spring Arbor has also established exchange relationships with the Technological University of Plant Polymers in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Sichuan College of Education in Chengdu, China. Along with the international programs, Spring Arbor encourages students to undertake course work in urban settings within the United States, and the college is an active associate of the Christian Center for Urban Studies in downtown Chicago.Graduate education began at Spring Arbor in 1994, with the inauguration of a Master of Management degree. Soon afterward, the college opened its Master of Education and Master of Arts in Teaching programs and is currently developing both a Master of Arts in Counseling and a Master of Arts in Family Studies. Among Christian colleges, Spring Arbor is one of the few schools with both a graduate program in education and accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). At present, approximately 150 students are enrolled in Spring Arbor's graduate degree programs, with an additional 100 students attending graduate courses for professional development. Both undergraduate and graduate courses are offered online.
In addition to the associate, baccalaureate and graduate degrees, the college also provides many non-credit classes, including summer institutes for arts, science and technology students, and a "Business Fellowships" program, workshops for public school teachers and administrators as well as several seminars and conferences.
