DeVry Inc. was created in 1987 through the merger of DeVry Institutes and Keller Graduate School of Management, which comprise the company's largest division, DeVry University. The company completed its initial public offering in June 1991, and now trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DV. Becker CPA Review, now the Becker Professional Review division of DeVry Inc., was acquired in 1996, Ross University was acquired in 2003, and DeVry acquired Deaconess College of Nursing in 2005.
DeVry's historical roots trace back to 1931, when Dr. Herman DeVry established DeForest Training School in Chicago to prepare students for technical work in electronics, motion pictures, radio and later, television. The name was changed to DeVry Technical Institute in 1953, and then became DeVry Institute of Technology in 1968.
Over time, the DeVry system expanded its curricula and degree offerings. In 1957, the DeVry Institutes achieved associate-degree-granting status in electronics engineering technology, now called electronics and computer technology, and 12 years later were authorized to grant bachelor's degrees in the same discipline.
In 1966, DeVry was purchased by Bell and Howell Education Group, and the company continued to expand. Under Bell and Howell's ownership, DeVry grew from two campuses in Chicago and Toronto to 11 locations in eight states and two Canadian provinces. DeVry's curricula expanded further, as a second bachelor's degree program in computer science for business (since renamed computer information systems) was introduced in 1979. During the 1980s, in response to a growing demand for professionals with business and technology expertise, DeVry introduced bachelor's degree programs in accounting, business administration and telecommunications management, the latter renamed network and communications management in 2003.
In 1987, DeVry merged with Keller Graduate School of Management after the graduate school, founded by two former DeVry executives, completed a leveraged buyout of DeVry Institutes from Bell and Howell.
Keller Graduate School of Management, founded in 1973 as the CBA Institute, had been established to provide a practitioner-oriented approach to management education. Founders Dennis J. Keller and Ronald L. Taylor launched the school's master of business administration degree program in 1976 and expanded the school to five sites in Chicago, the Chicago suburbs and Milwaukee, Wis.
After the merger of DeVry Institutes and Keller Graduate School of Management, the two institutions continued to expand both programmatically and geographically. In the 1990s, DeVry launched its technical management program, which is designed for those holding associate degrees and seeking a bachelor's degree, as well as programs in information technology and computer engineering technology. Keller added six additional master's degree programs in management fields such as human resources and telecommunications.
In 1996, DeVry Inc. acquired Becker CPA Review, now Becker Professional Review. Becker helps certified public accountant, certified management accountant and chartered financial analyst candidates prepare for professional certification exams by providing training programs that are highly responsive to students' needs.
In 1998, Keller Graduate School of Management received approval from the North Central Association to offer its master's degree programs online, and DeVry Institutes followed, offering its bachelor's of science in business administration online, in 2000.
In February 2002, DeVry Institutes and Keller Graduate School of Management became DeVry University, following the approval of The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.
In May 2003, DeVry Inc. acquired Ross University. Ross University is one of the largest medical and veterinary schools in the world. Focused exclusively on professional medical and veterinary education, the university awards both doctor of medicine (M.D.) and doctor of veterinary medicine (D.V.M.) degrees.
In July 2003 DeVry University began offering new degree programs in the fields of biomedical engineering technology, biomedical informatics and health information technology. These new programs, which are at the intersection of technology and health services, are in response to the increasing demand for technology professionals with an understanding of health-related fields.
DeVry added its newest bachelor's degree program, game and simulation programming, in January 2005, joining a small number of colleges and universities to offer a degree program in this emerging academic field.
Chamberlain College of Nursing, previously known as Deaconess College of Nursing, is a national nursing college that prepares compassionate and clinically proficient nurses through a curriculum that includes both a broad educational foundation and an extensive clinical practice component.
DeVry Inc. acquired Deaconess College of Nursing, based in St. Louis MO, in March 2005. A purchase agreement stipulated that use of the Deaconess name cease by September 30, 2006. The “Chamberlain” name derives from the Middle English word chaumberlein, which means “chief steward.” We selected this name to exemplify the nurse as the chief steward of patient care and to underscore the solid historical foundation of Deaconess.
Chamberlain offers associate degree (ASN/ADN and LPN/ASN) and Bachelor of Science degree (BSN) nursing programs at its St, Louis, MO campus as well as an ASN degree online. Additionally, Chamberlain offers a “Fast Track” online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree completion program that provides registered nurses across the country the opportunity to advance their careers by earning a BSN degree in as few as 12 months.
For more information on Chamberlain College of Nursing, please visit http://www.chamberlain.edu/
