Davenport University is a private university with campuses in Michigan and online classes. It was started in 1866 by Conrad Swensburg and provides associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees; diplomas; and postgraduate certification programs in business, technology, health professions, and graduate studies (MBA).
The main campus, called W.A. Lettinga Main Campus, is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This campus has student organizations, dormitory buildings, and athletic programs.
History
The earlier version of Davenport University was founded in 1866 by Conrad G. Swensburg, a man who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. The school, called the Grand Rapids Business College, opened in downtown Grand Rapids on January 25, 1866, with sixteen students. It taught classes in office skills, including bookkeeping, handwriting, business law, and math.
Over time, the school had different names and moved to several locations in Grand Rapids. By 1910, the school was close to closing. Michael E. Davenport, a teacher at the school, helped encourage the 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 campuses in different parts of 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. Completed in 2005 at a cost of $23 million, the 140,000-square-foot building includes classroom and technology spaces. It was designed to look like a large office building to match the university's focus on business, technology, and health degrees. The building also houses academic advising, career services, university offices, the campus bookstore and spirit shop, a café, the Margaret D. Sneden Library, and a dining location.
The Robert W. Sneden Center, completed in 2010, is an $8.5 million extension of the DeVos and Van Andel Academic Center. The 41,000-square-foot building includes additional classroom and technology spaces, faculty offices, and a modern 220-seat auditorium.
The Donald W. Maine Business Building is a business-focused building designed 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 students and others in West Michigan start and grow businesses by offering professional guidance.
The Student Center, opened in 2008, is the fourth LEED-certified building on the main campus. The 87,000-square-foot facility includes meeting rooms, student social areas, the Student Life Office, a café, a third dining area, a fitness center with an indoor rock climbing wall and suspended running track, and indoor basketball and volleyball courts. The Field House, connected to the Student Center, is a 1,500-seat arena that hosts the 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 earned 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 compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, dance, football, golf, softball, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.
In recent years, Davenport University has expanded from a commuter and online business school to include features of a traditional university. The university has improved 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.
The 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 residence hall named after long-time donors Peter and Pat Cook. The Fred and Lena Meijer Residence Hall is a five-story apartment-style residence hall that offers similar living arrangements to Cook Hall. The South Residence Hall is a four-story traditional dorm-style residence hall for freshman students. It also includes a large dining area. One off-campus apartment complex is called Panther Woods, which has four buildings. Another off-campus apartment complex is called Panther Ridge, which has three buildings.
Built near the W.A. Lettinga Main Campus, Davenport University's Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex was opened in March 2013. It includes home fields for the university's baseball and softball programs 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 athletic 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 provides more than 50 fields of study and offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees through its five colleges at the main campus, extension sites, and online. These colleges include:
- 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 and an acceptance rate of 82%. Davenport focuses on business programs, with the Business Administration and Management program being the most popular major, chosen by nearly 20% of undergraduate students. Other common majors include Accounting, Business/Commerce, Marketing/Marketing Management, and Human Resources Management.
The university is classified as a "Master's College or University with Larger Programs." It was ranked 95th in "Regional Universities Midwest" by U.S. News & World Report in their 2023 rankings. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Athletics
The Davenport athletic teams are known as the Panthers. The university is part of Division II in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and most of its sports teams compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) as a temporary member since the 2017–18 academic year. The university became a full member of Division II in the 2019–20 academic year. Before joining the GLIAC, the Panthers were part of the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2005–16 to 2016–17.
Davenport offers 21 intercollegiate 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, and DI), marching band, pep band, rugby, and volleyball. Non-varsity women's sports include bowling, cheerleading (NCA and sideline), dance, esports, ice hockey (ACHA DI), marching band, pep band, pompon, rugby, stunt, and wrestling.
Women's lacrosse is part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Men's lacrosse is part of the Division II ranks of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) as of the 2024–25 academic year. Previously, men's lacrosse was part of the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association.
Men's rugby teams compete at the Division I level in USA Rugby's Midwest Rugby Union. Men's ice hockey teams compete 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 has one of the most successful collegiate esports programs, with teams competing in popular video games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Call of Duty.
Notable alumni
- Paul Bissonnette – professional hockey player
- JP Eloff – professional rugby player
- Ikenna Ihim – internist and philanthropist
- Angus MacLellan – professional rugby player
- Glenn Steil Sr. – politician
- Grant Wolfram – professional baseball player