Missouri-based Park University to open Gilbert campus later this year
Jul 19, 2018, 4:25 AM
PHOENIX — A private, nonprofit liberal arts university based in Missouri will be expanding its locations to a new campus in the Phoenix area.
Park University will open a campus center in Gilbert. The university will begin offering classes at the campus in October, commencing with its Fall II 2018 term.
The campus will be located in the University Building in the town’s Heritage District. It will be Park University’s second Phoenix-area location and third campus in Arizona.
Park's newest campus arrives this fall in Gilbert, AZ! Our home in Gilbert will be in the heart of the Heritage District & is our first location outside Parkville to offer a traditional daytime campus & @NAIA athletics programs. Read the full release at https://t.co/lqg2Rr144w pic.twitter.com/NEVvCOAU6c
— Park University (@ParkUniversity) July 18, 2018
We're thrilled to welcome @ParkUniversity to #GilbertAZ! Their Gilbert campus will be located in the heart of the Heritage District and classes are scheduled to begin in the fall. 📚
Learn more 👉 https://t.co/RYf69WEkxA pic.twitter.com/SnKz0chdfX
— Gilbert, Arizona (@GilbertYourTown) July 19, 2018
Jeff Ehrlich, executive director of the Gilbert campus, told KTAR News 92.3 FM that students can earn undergraduate degrees in business, communication, fitness or criminal justice with the campus’ 8-week classes.
The campus will also add graduate degrees, including a Master’s in business administration, public administration or health care administration.
“We’re unique in how we offer these degrees,” he said.
“We look at these as hybrid classes where it might be that you come to class every third time and the other two times are online or in groups – in a situation that’s more of an outside the classroom learning environment.”
Ehrlich said the university is expecting about 75 students to enroll in the fall, with enrollment numbers expected to grow each year. By the fourth year the campus is in operation, campus officials expect to have 800 students enrolled.
“We have enjoyed collaborating with Park University to provide academic degree programs that support Gilbert’s educational goals,” Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels said in a statement.
“The university has great plans to immerse themselves in the community and we look forward to supporting those efforts.”
The campus also expects to have 12 intercollegiate athletics programs — including basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, golf and cross country — starting next fall.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Griselda Zetino contributed to this report.
