Ashford University to Celebrate 100th Anniversary August 20th in Clinton, Iowa

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Ashford University

Aug 15, 2018, 06:00 ET

CLINTON, Iowa, Aug. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashford University will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding with a series of events kicking off August 20, including a presentation on the history of the university, an alumni and friends event, and a Color Run.

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In 1893 the Sisters of St. Francis purchased the Judge Chase property in Clinton, Iowa, where they collocated their secondary school for woman with the Mount St. Clare Academy, a boarding high school for girls. As enrollment grew, they moved to the elegant Corbin House, which they converted into a school that eventually became Ashford University’s residential campus. One hundred years ago, in 1918, the Sisters added Junior College collegiate work, becoming Mt. St. Clare College.
In 1893 the Sisters of St. Francis purchased the Judge Chase property in Clinton, Iowa, where they collocated their secondary school for woman with the Mount St. Clare Academy, a boarding high school for girls. As enrollment grew, they moved to the elegant Corbin House, which they converted into a school that eventually became Ashford University’s residential campus. One hundred years ago, in 1918, the Sisters added Junior College collegiate work, becoming Mt. St. Clare College.

Ashford University was born in 1918 when the Sisters of St. Francis—who had already established the Mt. St. Clare Academy postsecondary women's boarding school in Clinton—added collegiate work and became Mt. St. Clare College. Mt. St. Clare College would go through many transformations before becoming the university it's recognized as today. In 2002 the college became The Franciscan University—the name under which it would issue its first master's degree—before giving way to The Franciscan University of the Prairies in 2004. In 2005 the Sisters of St. Francis sold the university to Bridgepoint Education and Ashford University was established.

"Ashford University has a rich history of serving the Clinton region educationally and through community service," said Ashford University President Dr. Craig Swenson. "With the opening of the Ashford Online Center in 2007, now known as the Ashford University Clinton Campus, we have been able to bring the Sisters' legacy of inclusivity and academic rigor to virtually anyone with an internet connection."

Today the university serves local, national, and even international students through its modern Ashford University Clinton Campus. And in 2017, Ashford opened a Student Veteran Center to provide additional access and support to the region's military population. The center offers computers, printers, internet access, as well as military publications and veterans' services information, to military and veteran students.

About Ashford University

Where heritage meets innovation – that's Ashford University. At Ashford, students discover relevant degree programs, innovative technology, and cherished tradition. Ashford offers associates, bachelor's, and master's degree programs online, allowing students to balance life by providing the flexibility to do school work anywhere, anytime. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu, www.facebook.com/ashforduniversity, www.twitter.com/AshfordU, or call Lauren Coartney at 858.513.9240 x11636.

Contact: Lauren Coartney
858.513.9240 x11636 · [email protected]

SOURCE Ashford University