Grand View University Informations

Coordinates: 41°37′14″N 93°36′15″W / 41.620546°N 93.604279°W / 41.620546; -93.604279

Grand View University is a private liberal arts university in Des Moines, Iowa. Founded in 1896 and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the university enrolls approximately 2,000 students and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Grand View College and Seminary was started in 1896 by members of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 1912, Grand View opened a high school academy department; instruction at the junior college level began in 1924 and was accredited by the Iowa State Department of Public Instruction in 1938 following the dissolution of the academy. After receiving accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1959, the theological seminary was relocated to Maywood, Illinois, in 1960.

In 1975, nursing programs were added for the first time along with baccalaureate programs. The college, then known as Grand View Junior College, became known as Grand View College. In 2008, after adding graduate programs, the college renamed itself Grand View University.

The Grand View Danish Immigrant Archives houses a wide variety of information sources related to the Danish immigrant influence on the United States, including personal histories, photographs, writings, and a large collection of Danish American newspapers and magazines.

Grand View's 50-acre campus is located in the Union Park Neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa, just northeast of downtown. Over 800 students live on campus in six different residential facilities. Notable landmarks include the Humphrey Center--built in 1895 in the style of Danish Renaissance architecture--and a 159-foot long skywalk across U.S. Route 69 in the heart of campus.

Humphrey Center - Formerly Old Main, the Humphrey Center is the oldest building on campus, built in 1896. The offices of Admissions, Business, Financial Aid, Registrar, President, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Vice President for Advancement are all located here. Humphrey is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was built in three different phases (1895, 1898, 1904). The facility underwent a complete renovation in 1998 and was named in recognition of alumnus Alice (Olson) Humphrey. The college's maintenance division is based out of a garage directly north of the building.

Charles S. Johnson Wellness Center - Located at 1500 Morton Avenue, the 92,000-square-foot facility houses the nursing and kinesiology departments, recreational and athletic facilities, a community clinic, classrooms and faculty offices. The field house contains weight lifting equipment, a 1/10 mile track, and a double basketball court. Sisam Arena was renovated in 2002, while the wellness center was being constructed, and put in new bleachers, backboards, wall padding and a small media platform. The lobby of the arena showcases trophy cases featuring the Grand View Athletic Hall of Fame. Sisam Arena was named after David Sisam, longtime coach and athletic director. In 2008, a new two-level addition was added on the southeast corner bringing a new weight room, wrestling room and athletics staff offices.

Cowles Communication Center - Located at 1331 Grandview Avenue, Cowles houses classrooms, faculty offices, two computer labs, a photography studio, a television studio, and radio broadcasting booths.

Krumm Business Center - Located at 1330 Morton Avenue, and named after college benefactor and former Maytag CEO Daniel J. Krumm, this academic building houses general-purpose classrooms, a large lecture hall, computer lab, and faculty/staff offices. The university's information technology department is based out of the Krumm Center.

Library - Located at the corner of Morton Avenue and East 14th Street (U.S. Route 69), the two-story library was completed in 1968 with an addition added in 1992. The first floor contains a teaching classroom/computer lab, the reference collection, current periodicals and journals, the children’s and young adult collection, private study rooms, study tables, DVD and video viewing rooms, the information desk, and the bank of research computers. The Library’s collection of books and journals as well as study tables are located on the second floor, along with the Danish Immigrant Archives. The library is also home to an Einstein Bros Bagels.

Rasmussen Center for Community Advancement Professions - located at 2800 East 14th Street U.S. Route 69), north of the library., the Rasmussen Center opened in fall 2008 and houses the departments of art, education, history, criminal justice, political studies, psychology and sociology, as well as general-purpose classrooms, art studios, computer labs, the ALT Center, faculty offices, and various student amenities. The building is named after Jim and Sandra Rasmussen, long-time supporters of Grand View who contributed $3 million to the building campaign.

Student Center - Located at 2811 East 14th Street (U.S. Route 69), the Student Center was renovated and expanded in 2015 to accommodate the communication and theater departments, student dining, academic and career success centers, the bookstore, the Viking Theatre, student services and recreation, plus the Robert Speed Lyceum, a large multipurpose performance area.

Grand View offers 40+ undergraduate majors and four master's degree programs. Its nine pre-professional programs include medicine, law, pharmacy, and physical therapy. The top academic programs include art, biology, business, criminal justice, education, kinesiology, nursing, and psychology. Grand View has an average class size of 16 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 13 to 1.

Grand View's athletic teams are nicknamed the Vikings. They are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The Vikings have 25 varsity teams that compete in 15 different sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, bowling, competitive dance, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball. The Vikings also have co-ed cheerleading, shooting sports and Esports programs.

The Vikings have won the NAIA Wrestling Championship eight consecutive times from 2012 to 2019. In 2013, the Vikings won the NAIA Football National Championship. The Viking's men's golf team won the NAIA Men's Golf Championship in 2017.

Grand View University began competing in esports the fall of 2017 becoming the first higher education institute in Iowa to introduce a varsity program as well as offer esports scholarships. Grand View is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports. Grand View's esports gaming arena is located in the basement of Nielsen Hall dormitory.

Hired in 2018 as Grand View's director of esports, Dana Hustedt became the first female collegiate esports director in the United States.

Approximately 84% of Grand View students are from Iowa while 14% are from other elsewhere in the United States. International students make up 2% of the student population. Grand View University has more than 40 campus clubs and organizations that represent a variety of interests.

Viking Council is the governing body of Grand View students. It is composed of officers elected by the student body and a representative group of student senators. Viking Council is responsible for expenditure of student activity fees. Student Activities Council (SAC) is funded by and reports to the Viking Council. This board develops and schedules campus-wide programs and activities throughout the school year to meet the diverse needs of the student population. Residential Experience Council (REC) members are active in hall government, which speaks to policies and matters of concern to all campus residents.

Complete article available at this page.