Davenport University is a private university with campuses throughout Michigan and online. It was founded in 1866 by Conrad Swensburg and currently offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees; diplomas; and post-grad certification programs in business, technology, health professions, and graduate studies (MBA).

Davenport's W.A. Lettinga Main Campus is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The main campus includes student organizations, residence halls, and athletic programs.

History

The predecessor to the modern Davenport University was founded in 1866 by Conrad G. Swensburg, a Union Army Veteran who returned to Michigan from the Civil War. The college, located in downtown Grand Rapids, opened with sixteen students as the Grand Rapids Business College on January 25, 1866. The college offered courses in various office skills, such as bookkeeping, penmanship, business law, and arithmetic.

Campus

Davenport University's W.A. Lettinga Main Campus is located in Grand Rapids. The campus contains three academic buildings, a field house/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 the campus. The building was complete in 2005 at the cost of $23 million. It includes classroom and technology space and was constructed to look like a large office building in concert with Davenport University's focus on business, technology, and health degrees.

The Robert W. Sneden Center, completed in 2010, is an $8.5 million academic and arts extension connecting to the existing DeVos and Van Andel Academic Center. The extension features additional classroom and technology space, faculty office space, and a modern 220-seat auditorium. A new Entrepreneurial Center will provide individuals seeking to start and grow businesses in West Michigan opportunities to consult with professionals at each stage in the process.

The Student Center opened in 2008 and became the fourth LEED certified building on the main DU campus. The facility houses meeting rooms, student social areas, Student Life Office, Student Center Café, a third on-campus dining area, fitness center with indoor rock climbing wall and suspended running track, and indoor basketball and volleyball court. The Field House is connected to the Student Center and is a 1,500-seat arena that serves as the home for DU Panthers men's & women's basketball and women's volleyball teams.

Residence halls

In recent years DU has undergone a transition from a commuter and online business school to include characteristics of a traditional university. The school has increased its athletic program, athletic facilities, and student life facilities. Davenport currently has three residence halls on the main campus, with an off-campus apartment complex.

Peter C. and Pat Cook Residence Hall or Cook Hall was the first residence hall constructed on campus; it is a four-story apartment-living style residence hall named for long-time donors Peter and Pat Cook. Fred and Lena Meijer Residence Hall is a five-story residence hall on the DU campus, South Hall is the residence hall for freshman students living on campus. The hall also includes a large dining area.

Regional campuses

thumb|right|Davenport University Livonia campus

In addition to the main campus, Davenport University offers classes at other locations throughout Michigan including a main Campus in Grand Rapids; institutional campuses in Lansing, Midland, and Warren; as well as 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 and confers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees and master's degrees through its five colleges at its main campus, extension locations 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 and an acceptance rate of 82%. Davenport specializes in business majors, with the Business Administration and Management program being the most popular major, with close to 20% of enrolled undergraduate students. Other popular majors include Accounting, Business/Commerce, Marketing/Marketing Management, and Human Resources Management.

The university is classified among "Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs". It was ranked 95th in "Regional Universities Midwest" by U.S. News & World Report in their 2023 rankings. DU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Athletics

The Davenport athletic teams are called the Panthers. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for most of its sports as a provisional member since the 2017–18 academic year (achieving D-II full member status in 2019–20). The Panthers previously competed in the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2005–16 to 2016–17.

Davenport competes in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports and 21 non-varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and wrestling; while women's 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 & DIII), marching band, pep band, rugby and volleyball; while 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 a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), while men's lacrosse is a member of the Division II ranks of the (G-MAC) as of 2024 -25. Previously, members of Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association

Other affiliations

Men's rugby competes at the Division I level of USA Rugby's Midwest Rugby Union. Men's ice hockey competes in the ACHA Division I within the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL), and a second hockey team competes in the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) at the ACHA DIII level. Davenport also has one of the most successful collegiate esport programs, fielding teams in popular titles like 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

References

34. https://dupanthers.com/news/2025/1/28/mens-lacrosse-2025-mlax-season-preview.aspx

  • Athletics website