''Note of duplicate name: Benjamin Franklin University, located in Annandale, Virginia, was open from 1995 to 1999 but had its name revoked by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Benjamin Franklin University was founded in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on August 17, 1925.NBenjamin Franklin University Founded: Business and Professional Courses Offered for Employed Students
. ''The Washington Post''. August 18, 1925. p. 18.Kelly, John (March 22, 2014).

. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved October 27. 2014. It was the successor to the Washington campus of

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pac ...

, which had been established in 1907. The university has since closed and is now operated by

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

. The founding principles of Benjamin Franklin University were based upon

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

's doctrine of thrift and self-reliance. The university was especially adapted toward nontraditional students who had full-time employment during the day. The school gave adult learners the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in commercial science after three years of classes in

accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "language ...

and

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

. The university also offered master's degrees in commercial science to graduate students. Some classes were taught with a

stereopticon A stereopticon is a slide projector or relatively powerful "magic lantern", which has two lenses, usually one above the other, and has mainly been used to project photographic images. These devices date back to the mid 19th century, and were a popu ...

, a type of

slide projector A slide projector is an opto-mechanical device for showing photographic slides. 35 mm slide projectors, direct descendants of the larger-format magic lantern, first came into widespread use during the 1950s as a form of occasional home ...

, to show students manufacturing processing, forms, labor-saving accounting devices, and graphic cost presentations. The first day of classes was September 15, 1925.Benjamin Franklin U. Class to Open Tuesday: Registration Large for Autumn Term in Accountancy and Business Administration
. ''The Washington Post''. September 13, 1925. p. 45. Classes were held at 17th and H streets NW. The university's first graduating class was twenty percent female, but the university prohibited black students from enrolling until 1964, when picketing by civil rights leaders forced the university to open its admissions.Benjamin Franklin's Closing
. ''The Washington Post''. August 20, 1987. p, A22. By 1981, the university was offering bachelor's and master's degrees in accountancy and financial management, and its classes were being held at 1100 16th Street NW. A few years later, the District of Columbia's accountancy board imposed new requirements, and the school determined that it would need to add more liberal arts courses and more full-time faculty members in order to meet the new requirements, which would be more than it could afford to do. In August 1987, Benjamin Franklin University closed.Feinberg, Lawrence (August 18, 1987).
D.C. Accounting School Closing: Changing Standards, Feud Doom Benjamin Franklin University
. ''The Washington Post''. p. B5. At the time of its closing, the school had graduated about 8,000 students. Students were allowed to enroll at George Washington University at reduced tuition. Benjamin Franklin University donated $900,000 in investments, books, and equipment to George Washington University. The Benjamin Franklin University records are currently housed by the

Special Collections Research Center in the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library.Preliminary Guide to the Benjamin Franklin University Records, 1925-1994
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University.

References

External links

Preliminary Guide to the Benjamin Franklin University Records, 1925–1994, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University
{{authority control Educational institutions disestablished in 1987 George Washington University Foggy Bottom 1925 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1987 disestablishments in Washington, D.C. Defunct private universities and colleges in Washington, D.C. Benjamin Franklin Universities and colleges established in 1925