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Keiser University

Coordinates: 26°11′10″N 80°09′50″W / 26.1860°N 80.1638°W / 26.1860; -80.1638
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Keiser University
Seal of Keiser University
Former names
The Keiser School (1977–1982)
Keiser Institute of Technology (1982–1986)
Keiser College (1986–2006)
MottoIntegritas, Veritas, Sapientia (Latin)[1]
Motto in English
"Purity, Truth, Wisdom"
TypePrivate university[2]
Established1977; 47 years ago (1977)[3]
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliation
ICUF
ChancellorArthur Keiser[4]
Students19,510 (fall 2018)[5]
Undergraduates17,892 (fall 2018)[5]
Postgraduates1,618 (fall 2018)[5]
Location, ,
United States

26°11′10″N 80°09′50″W / 26.1860°N 80.1638°W / 26.1860; -80.1638
CampusMidsize city[6]
Other campuses
NewspaperSeahawk Nation
ColorsNavy blue and sky blue
   
NicknameSeahawks
Sporting affiliations
NAIAThe Sun
MascotThe Keiser Seahawk
Websitewww.keiseruniversity.edu

Keiser University is a private university with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida[7] and flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, Florida.[8] Additional campuses are located in other parts of Florida and internationally.[9] Keiser provides educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate levels in both traditional and online delivery formats. The school is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

History

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In 1977, Arthur Keiser and his mother, Evelyn, created a career college called the Keiser School in Fort Lauderdale to prepare students for jobs in Florida's growing business and healthcare communities.[10] In 1982, with the addition of paralegal and computer programs, the school changed its name to the Keiser Institute of Technology. In 1986, the school began to award associate degrees and became Keiser College. In 2001, Keiser created its first bachelor's degree programs. Five years later, in 2006, the school made its final name change and became Keiser University.[11]

In 2010, the Florida Attorney General began to investigate Keiser University and several other for-profit schools based in the state, but by 2012 the investigation was closed and Keiser entered into an "assurance of voluntary compliance".[12] In 2011, the university switched from a for-profit to a not-for-profit model, when Arthur Keiser sold the institution for an undisclosed sum to Everglades College Inc., a non-profit entity founded by Keiser that also operates Everglades University.[2][13]

In 2015, Keiser University added a 100-acre flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, on the site of what was formerly Northwood University's Florida campus. The goal of this expansion was to help in providing students with a residential, traditional, educational experience in West Palm Beach, Florida.[14] In 2016, the university launched the new college of Chiropractic Medicine, with Dr. Michael Wiles serving as the Dean. This is the first program of its kind started in South Florida.[15][16]

In 2017, CEO and President Arthur Keiser became chair of the U.S. Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI).[17] Keiser was first appointed by then Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and reappointed twice by Republicans.[18]

Licensure and accreditation

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Keiser University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award certificates and degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels. Keiser University is licensed by the Commission for Independent Education in Florida.[19]

Recognition and rankings

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  • In 2022-23, U.S. News & World Report ranked Keiser University #219 in National Universities (tie) and #1 in Top Performers on Social Mobility.[20]
  • In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Keiser University #284 (tie) out of all national universities and #11 (tie) in "Top Performers of Social Mobility."[21]
  • In 2020, U.S. News & World Report ranked Keiser University #272 (tie) out of all national universities and #34 (tie) in "Top Performers of Social Mobility."[22]
  • In 2019, Washington Monthly ranked Keiser University 263rd out of 395 schools on its national universities list. This ranking is based on three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service.[23]
  • In 2018, Money magazine rated Keiser University - Fort Lauderdale at #8 in top colleges for the money in Florida.[24]

Athletics

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The Keiser athletic teams are called the Seahawks. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA),[25] primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 2015–16 academic year.[26] Prior to July 2015, the Seahawks represented Northwood University's West Palm Beach campus.[27]

Keiser competes in 26 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include eSports and spirit squad. Club sports include equestrian and fishing.

Basketball

Basketball was started in the 2006–2007 season, after the hiring of Rollie Massimino in 2005, as Director of Basketball Operations for both men's and women's basketball.[28] Per ESPN, on December 14, 2016, Massimino, Keiser University's men's basketball coach, became the third active coach to achieve 800 career wins and the ninth coach overall. Massimino was 82 years old at the time.[29]

Golf

The Seahawks Women's golf team have won four NAIA Women's Golf National Championships (2003, 2015, 2016, 2021). In 2022, the Seahawks Men's golf team won their first NAIA Men's Golf National Championship, while also having their first individual golf national champion.[30]

Swimming

The Keiser Men's Swim team won the NAIA Men's Swimming National Championship three consecutive years in 2018, 2019, and 2020.[31] With the 2021 championships canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they would follow up by winning their fourth straight national title in 2022.[32] In 2022, the Keiser Women's Swim team won their first NAIA Women's Swimming National Championship.[33]

Football

In 2016, Keiser announced its plan to add football to its slate of varsity athletic programs, with the team beginning play in the 2018 season.[34] In 2021, the Seahawks football team advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals for the second straight year.[35] In 2023, the Seahawks football team won its first NAIA Football National Championship, defeating Northwestern College 31–21.[36]

Wrestling

The 2019–20 season marked the inaugural year of the Keiser men's wrestling team. Keiser, along with Southeastern University and St. Thomas University, are the only current institutions that sponsor scholarship wrestling programs in Florida.[37][38]

Soccer

Both the Seahawks Men's and Women's soccer teams have won national championships. The Women's soccer team won back-to-back national championships in 2019 and 2020. The Men's soccer team collected its first national championship in 2021.[39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "INTEGRITAS VERITAS SAPIENTIA®. 2011. Keiser University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL , USA". 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Field, Kelly (January 13, 2011). "Keiser U. Goes Nonprofit". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  3. ^ Travis, Scott (September 12, 2011). "Keiser University celebrates 35th year by becoming a nonprofit". Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  4. ^ "Letter From The Chancellor". Keiser University. 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale FALL 2018 Enrollment". The Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "IPEDS - Keiser University".
  7. ^ Find Your Campuses and Locations. keiseruniversity.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  8. ^ Flagship Residential Campus - Keiser University. Keiser University. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  9. ^ "Keiser University: San Marcos, Carazo, Nicaragua". Keiser University. September 24, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  10. ^ "Keiser University: Nonprofit Operation Advantageous". The Ledger. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  11. ^ "Keiser History". Keiser University. 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  12. ^ "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance" (PDF). MyFloridaLegal.com. October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  13. ^ Luzer, Daniel (January 24, 2011). "Beyond Profit". Washington Monthly. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  14. ^ (July 1, 2015). Keiser University Acquires Northwood - West Palm Beach Campus. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  15. ^ "Keiser University Opens First College of Chiropractic Medicine in South Florida, Welcomes Inaugural Class of Students". PRWeb. August 31, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "Sunshine State Adds DC Degree Program". Dynamic Chiropractic. Vol. 34, no. 5. March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "Keiser University's Chancellor Dr. Arthur Keiser Named Chairman of NACIQI". finance.yahoo.com. Yahoo Finance. March 10, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  18. ^ "National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity U.S. Department of Education National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (Bios)". sites.ed.gov. US Department of Education. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  19. ^ Articulation Agreement Between the Florida Division of Community Colleges and Keiser University Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, February 8, 2007
  20. ^ "U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Keiser University". U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges. September 12, 2022.
  21. ^ "Keiser University - Profile, Ranking, and Data". U.S. News & World Report.
  22. ^ Keiser University - Profile, Rankings, and Data. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  23. ^ 2019 National University Rankings. Washington Monthly. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  24. ^ (Aug 14, 2018). Johnson, Don. Here's Where Florida's Colleges Rank: Money Magazine. Patch. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  25. ^ "Schools". NAIA.ORG. NAIA. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  26. ^ "Members". Thesunconference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  27. ^ Bandell, Brian. (Mar 15, 2015). Keiser University to take over Northwood University's West Palm Beach campus. South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved Sep 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Nelson, Marcus (March 23, 2005). "Northwood talks with Massimino". West Palm Beach, Florida: Palm Beach Post. pp. 1C, 10C.
  29. ^ "Ex-Nova coach Massimino joins elite 800-win club". ESPN.com. December 15, 2016.
  30. ^ (May 20, 2022). Keiser Claims First Team and Individual National Titles. NAIA. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  31. ^ Keiser University wins third straight national swimming championship. The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  32. ^ No. 1 Men's Swimming Claims Fourth Straight NAIA National Championship. kuseahawks.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  33. ^ Keiser (Fla.) Win First Women’s Swimming & Diving Red Banner. NAIA. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  34. ^ "Keiser Adds Football Program". Victory Sports Network. October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  35. ^ Football Picked as Favorite to win 2022 Sun Conference Title. kuseahawks.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  36. ^ Shields, Malcom. (December 18, 2023). Keiser football defeats Northwestern College in 2023 NAIA National Championship game. wpbf.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  37. ^ Palmer, Mark (March 5, 2018). "Keiser University to add wrestling, hires coach". Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  38. ^ "Bertolone Tabbed To Lead Inaugural Keiser Wrestling Program In 2019". Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  39. ^ (December 6, 2021). 2021 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship. NAIA. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
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