Davenport University is a private school with campuses in Michigan and online classes. It was started in 1866 by Conrad Swensburg. The university provides associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, diplomas, and post-grad certification programs in business, technology, health professions, and graduate studies, including an MBA.
The main campus, called the W.A. Lettinga Main Campus, is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This campus has student groups, dormitory buildings for students to live, and sports programs.
History
The earlier version of today’s Davenport University was started in 1866 by Conrad G. Swensburg, a soldier who fought for the Union during the Civil War and later returned to Michigan. The school, called the Grand Rapids Business College, opened in downtown Grand Rapids on January 25, 1866, with sixteen students. It taught classes in subjects like bookkeeping, writing, business law, and math.
Over time, the school changed its name and moved to different places in Grand Rapids. By 1910, the school was close to shutting down. Michael E. Davenport, a teacher at the school, helped motivate the remaining staff and later became the leader to try to save the school.
In 1976, the school received official approval from the Higher Learning Commission – North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. During the mid- to late 1900s, the school grew quickly and added new campuses in several places across Michigan.
Campus
Davenport University's W.A. Lettinga Main Campus is located in Grand Rapids. The campus includes three academic buildings, a field house and student activities center, two suite-style residence halls, and one traditional-style residence hall with a full cafeteria.
The Richard M. DeVos and Jay Van Andel Academic Center is the main academic building on campus. This 140,000 square foot (13,000 square meter) building was completed in 2005 and cost $23 million. It has classrooms, technology spaces, and was designed to look like a large office building. This matches Davenport University's focus on business, technology, and health degrees. The building also includes academic advising, career services, university offices, the campus bookstore, a café, the Margaret D. Sneden Library, and a dining area.
The Robert W. Sneden Center was completed in 2010. It is an $8.5 million, 41,000 square foot (3,800 square meter) academic and arts extension connected to the DeVos and Van Andel Academic Center. It includes additional classrooms, technology spaces, faculty offices, and a modern 220-seat auditorium.
The Donald W. Maine Business Building is a business building with multimedia technology. The Donald W. Maine College of Business building will be more than 60,000 square feet. A new Entrepreneurial Center will help people in West Michigan start and grow businesses by offering professional guidance.
The Student Center opened in 2008 and is the fourth LEED certified building on the main campus. It is 87,000 square feet (8,100 square meters) and includes meeting rooms, student social areas, the Student Life Office, a café, a third on-campus dining area, a fitness center with an indoor rock climbing wall and suspended running track, and indoor basketball and volleyball courts. The Field House, which connects to the Student Center, is a 1,500-seat arena and serves as the home for DU Panthers men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams.
Beginning with the 2017–18 academic year, Davenport University is part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and NCAA Division II. The university has won national team championships in competitive cheer, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, and soccer, as well as individual championships in track and field. Davenport's men's and women's teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, dance, football, golf, softball, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.
In recent years, Davenport University has changed from being mainly a commuter and online business school to include features of a traditional university. The school has expanded its athletic programs, athletic facilities, and student life facilities. Davenport currently has three residence halls on the main campus and one off-campus apartment complex.
Peter C. and Pat Cook Residence Hall, or Cook Hall, was the first residence hall built on campus. It is a four-story apartment-style building named after long-time donors Peter and Pat Cook. Fred and Lena Meijer Residence Hall is a five-story apartment-style building on campus, offering similar living spaces to Cook Hall. South Residence Hall is a four-story traditional dorm-style building for first-year students. It also includes a large dining area. One off-campus apartment complex is called Panther Woods, with four buildings. Another off-campus apartment complex is called Panther Ridge, with three buildings.
Near the W.A. Lettinga Main Campus, Davenport University's Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex was dedicated in March 2013. It includes fields for baseball and softball and eight courts for tennis. In 2016, Davenport completed an outdoor facility with a new football stadium, soccer field, and nine-lane track and field complex. This facility also includes an athletic support building with new offices, a training room, locker rooms, and a weight room.
In addition to the main campus, Davenport University offers classes at other locations in Michigan, including a main campus in Grand Rapids, institutional campuses in Lansing, Midland, and Warren, and University Center locations at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (Kalamazoo) and Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City).
Academics
The university offers more than 50 areas of study. It gives associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees through five colleges at its main campus, other campuses, and online:
- The College of Arts and Sciences
- The College of Health Professions
- The College of Technology
- The College of Urban Education
- The Donald W. Maine College of Business
The university has a student-faculty ratio of 14:1, meaning 14 students for every 1 teacher. Its acceptance rate is 82%. Davenport focuses on business majors, with the Business Administration and Management program being the most popular major. About 20% of undergraduate students choose this major. Other popular majors include Accounting, Business/Commerce, Marketing/Marketing Management, and Human Resources Management.
The university is classified as "Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs." It was ranked 95th in "Regional Universities Midwest" by U.S. News & World Report in their 2023 rankings. The university is officially approved by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Athletics
The Davenport athletic teams are called the Panthers. The university is part of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and mainly plays in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for most sports. Davenport joined GLIAC as a provisional member in 2017–18 and became a full member in 2019–20. Before joining GLIAC, the Panthers competed in the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2005–16 to 2016–17.
Davenport offers 21 varsity sports and 21 non-varsity sports. Men's varsity sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and wrestling. Women's varsity sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Non-varsity men's sports include bowling, esports, ice hockey (ACHA DI, DII, & DI), marching band, pep band, rugby, and volleyball. Non-varsity women's sports include bowling, cheerleading (NCA & sideline), dance, esports, ice hockey (ACHA DI), marching band, pep band, pompon, rugby, stunt, and wrestling.
Women's lacrosse is part of the GLIAC, while men's lacrosse is part of the Division II ranks of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (G-MAC) as of 2024–25. Previously, men's lacrosse was part of the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association.
Men's rugby plays at the Division I level of USA Rugby's Midwest Rugby Union. Men's ice hockey plays in the ACHA Division I within the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL), and a second hockey team plays in the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) at the ACHA DI level. Davenport also has one of the most successful collegiate esports programs, with teams in popular games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Call of Duty.
Notable alumni
- Paul Bissonnette – works as a professional hockey player
- JP Eloff – works as a professional rugby player
- Ikenna Ihim – works as a doctor and helps others through charitable work
- Angus MacLellan – works as a professional rugby player
- Glenn Steil Sr. – works as a politician
- Grant Wolfram – works as a professional baseball player