Bellevue University is a
private university
Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...
in
Bellevue, Nebraska
Bellevue (French for "beautiful view"; previously named Belleview) is a suburban city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and had a population of 64,176 as of the 2020 Census, mak ...
. It opened in 1966 as Bellevue College and from the outset has focused on providing adult education and educational outreach. As of 2011, 80% of its undergraduates were aged 25 and over.
The university has over 10,000 students enrolled in a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs.
History
Opened in 1966 as Bellevue College, its aim was to provide education for working adults in the area. By 1974 it had become the fourth largest private college in Nebraska and had added a gymnasium, student center, and library.
In 1977, Bellevue earned full accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. In the mid-1980s increasing competition from other colleges in the area, which had also begun catering to working adult students, created financial problems which nearly led to the college's closure. However, under its third president, John Muller, who took over in 1985, the college refocused, survived, and started to expand.
In 1987 the college began offering an accelerated bachelor's degree program and in 1990 began its first master's degree program. In 1994 Bellevue College became Bellevue University.
Presidents
Mary Hawkins is the current and fourth president of Bellevue University.
Campus
The university's main campus is in Bellevue, Nebraska. The campus expanded in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the opening of the Lozier Professional Center in west
Omaha, the Riley Technology Center on the main campus, and the Lakeside Center. The library, humanities center, athletic center, and the student center were all renovated, and a new Educational Services building was built to host classrooms, offices, and faculty space.
Academics
Bellevue University has over 10,000 students and numerous undergraduate and graduate programs
including accelerated, cohort-based, in-class, and online. The school offers numerous bachelor's and master's degree programs, a Doctorate of Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in Human Capital Management.
The university is
accredited
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
. Business degrees at Bellevue University are accredited by the
International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), formerly the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, is an educational accreditation agency for college and university business programs founded in 1997. It ...
.
The university also offers a Masters of Science degree in Clinical Counseling accredited by the
Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
On March 9, 2020, the
Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...
suspended
G.I. Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
reimbursement eligibility for Bellevue University and several other schools due to what the V.A. said were "erroneous, deceptive, or misleading enrollment and advertising practices", giving the schools 60 days to take "corrective action". The VA withdrew its threat of sanctions in July 2020.
In 2022, Bellevue University announced a partnership with the
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league based in Huntersville, North Carolina, with teams located primarily in the southeastern United States as well as Illinois and Indiana in the midw ...
to provide tuition reimbursement to SPHL players, staff, and family to attend Bellevue.
Athletics
The Bellevue athletic teams are called the Bruins. The university is a member of the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stud ...
(NAIA), primarily competing in the
North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) since the 2015–16 academic year. The Bruins previously competed in the defunct
Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) from 1994–95 to 2014–15 (when the conference dissolved).
Bellevue competes in 14 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and track, while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and volleyball; and co-ed sports include eSports.
Accomplishments
The Bellevue men's baseball team won the
NAIA Baseball World Series in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...
. In 2011, Bellevue University added men's and women's golf teams. In 2016 Bellevue University started its first ever women's basketball program going 16-15 overall and 9–7 in conference play. In 2017, it added men's and women's cross country teams and the co-ed eSports team.
Notable alumni
*
T.J. Bohn
Thomas Joseph Bohn (born January 17, 1980), is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies. He made his MLB debut as a late-inning pinch hitter ...
,
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
player
*
Shon Hopwood, former jailhouse lawyer and DC circuit law clerk; professor at
Georgetown Law Center
The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and t ...
*
Abbie Cornett
Abbie Cornett (born August 22, 1966) is a politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. She served two terms, from 2005 to 2013, as a member of the Nebraska Legislature.
Personal life
Senator Abbie Cornett was born in Omaha,Nebraska. She gradua ...
, former member of the Nebraska Legislature
*
Judd H. Lyons
Judd Henry Lyons (born May 29, 1962) is a retired Army National Guard officer. After retiring from the military the rank of major general, he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service on August 7, 2017. Since 2018, he has served as Deputy As ...
,
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
, Adjutant General of the
Nebraska National Guard
The Nebraska National Guard consists of the:
*Nebraska Army National Guard
* Nebraska Air National Guard
See also
* Nebraska State Guard
References
External linksBibliography of Nebraska Army National Guard Historycompiled by the United State ...
and Deputy Director of the
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...
*
Beau McCoy
Beau McCoy (born November 12, 1980) is an American politician who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature for the 39th district from 2009 to 2017.
Early life and education
McCoy was born in Burlington, Colorado, has been active in th ...
, former member of the Nebraska Legislature
*
Michael D. Navrkal
Michael D. Navrkal is a retired major general in the Army National Guard.
Career
Navrkal was commissioned an officer in 1981 and was assigned to the 67th Infantry Brigade in Nebraska City, Nebraska. He remained there until he was assigned to th ...
, Army National Guard Brigadier General
*
James R. Young, former president, chief executive office, and chairman for
Union Pacific Railway
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...
References
External links
*
Official athletics website
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Buildings and structures in Bellevue, Nebraska
Education in Sarpy County, Nebraska
Educational institutions established in 1966
Private universities and colleges in Nebraska
1966 establishments in Nebraska