Iowa official register

443 

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 

 

accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education and by the Higher Learning Commis-

sion of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Faith Baptist Bible College had its 

beginning in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1921, and was then known as Omaha Bible Institute. The 

school moved to Ankeny in 1967 and the new name, Faith Baptist Bible College, was chosen. The 

student body numbers approximately 400. In addition to a one-year Bible certificate, degrees 

offered include Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and 

Master of Divinity. 

GRACELAND UNIVERSITY 

Dr. John D. Sellars, president; Lamoni 50140; [phone]; 

www.graceland.edu 

Graceland University was founded in 1895 in Lamoni by the Reorganized Church of Jesus 

Christ of Latter-Day Saints — now the Community of Christ. Its high academic rating and low 

total cost have earned Graceland a spot in The Student Guide to America’s 100 Best College Buys 

since 1997. Graceland University has also been named in America’s Best Christian Colleges for 

many years and as a Best in the Midwest choice in The Princeton Review. 

The main campus in Lamoni covers 170 acres and contains more than 20 buildings. Health 

care, business, and education programs (both on site and online), plus the Seminary and Center 

for the Study of the Korean War, are based in Independence, Missouri, in a 53,000-square-foot 

facility of the Graceland University Independence Campus dedicated in March 1999. 

Graceland is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools as a bacca-

laureate-and-master’s-degree-granting institution. Curricula are offered in over 50 degrees, lead-

ing to the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or Mas-

ter of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. A Master of Arts in Education is also offered. 

Graceland’s Outreach Nursing Program allows students to earn their BSN or MSN through 

directed home study, on-campus residencies, and clinical work. 

Nineteen varsity sports are offered and nearly 50 percent of Graceland students participate. 

Ninety percent of students take part in an extensive intramural sports program. Sports facilities 

include the beautiful, new artificial-turf, Huntsman Field for football, recognized as one of the 

best in the Midwest. It is home to GU and Lamoni High School. The Rasmussen Soccer Complex 

is one of the best in the Midwest. The Eugene and Julia Closson Athletic Center offers a standout 

indoor track, and basketball and volleyball facilities. 

Graceland boasts a unique “House” residential system which promotes social inclusivity, cama-

raderie, teamwork, and a lot of fun. Students make friends at Graceland that last a lifetime. Stu-

dents study and perform public service work around the world during a month-long “Winter 

Term” break each January. 

The Shaw Center for the Performing Arts on the Lamoni campus serves as a regional cultural 

center where an annual Performing Arts Series, as well as various student productions, are en-

joyed by thousands of south-central Iowa and north-central Missouri residents. The Helene Center 

for the Visual Arts, a 21,000-square-foot art building, was dedicated in fall 2004 and has quickly 

become a regional center for the visual arts, showcasing student, faculty, and alumni artists, and 

visiting artists from around the world. The new Resch Science and Technology Hall is a $15 mil-

lion, state-of-the-sciences facility. Graceland partners with Kirkwood Community College, Cedar 

Rapids; Indian Hills Community College, Centerville; and North Central Missouri College, Tren-

ton, Missouri, to empower traditional and nontraditional students to earn Graceland baccalaureate 

and master’s degrees in a wide variety of academic disciplines. 

Graceland University’s fall 2008 enrollment on the Lamoni campus was approximately 1,000 

students from across America and 28 foreign countries — 17 percent of GU students are interna-

tional students.  Approximately 1,500 students (on site and online) take courses through the Inde-

pendence, Missouri, campus. 

The quiet, rolling hills of southern Iowa create an inviting backdrop for a small, “community-

minded” university with one-on-one student/faculty experiences. Graceland graduates go out and 

change the world.   

---

444 

IOWA OFFICIAL REGISTER 

 

GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY 

Kent Henning, president; Des Moines 50316; [phone]; 

www.grandview.edu 

Grand View University is a four-year liberal arts school affiliated with the Evangelical Lu-

theran Church in America.  Founded more than 100 years ago, Grand View offers a high-quality 

education to a diverse student body in a career-oriented, liberal arts-grounded curriculum at two 

campus locations in greater Des Moines.  Grand View welcomes traditional students and adult 

learners representing a wide range of religious and cultural backgrounds. 

At Grand View, students find a winning combination of high-quality programs, experienced 

professors, and caring individuals. With 1,900 students and an average class size of 14, students 

get to know their professors and other students well. They learn independence and seek responsi-

bility in Grand View’s educational environment. Learning is an interactive process at Grand  

View — students engage in lively discussions, work on real-world projects, and participate in 

career-related work experiences. Grand View is accredited by the North Central Association of 

Colleges and Schools, the National League for Nursing, and the Iowa State Board of Nursing.  

The Grand View teacher education program is approved by the Iowa Department of Education. 

In addition to access to outstanding cultural and entertainment attractions in Iowa’s largest city, 

students profit from internships, jobs, and other educational experiences available exclusively in 

Des Moines.  About 85 percent of Grand View students are employed full- or part-time in the 

greater Des Moines area while they attend college. 

The main campus consists of 25 acres in Des Moines.  The renovated Humphrey Center is 

listed on the National Register of Historic Places.   The newly constructed Rasmussen Center for 

Community Advancement Professions, a 40,000-square-foot academic building, houses Grand 

View’s acclaimed art department, as well as education, history, human services, criminal justice, 

political studies, psychology, and sociology.  With classrooms, faculty offices, several art studios, 

and computer labs, the center serves the 400 students enrolled in these programs and the faculty 

who teach them. 

Grand View grants the Bachelor of Arts degree and offers majors in accounting, art education, 

biology, broadcast, business administration, computer science, criminal justice, elementary educa-

tion, English, graphic design, graphic journalism, health promotion, history, human services, jour-

nalism, liberal arts, management information systems, mass communication, math, music, music 

education, organizational studies, paralegal, physical science, political studies, psychology, relig-

ion, secondary education, service management, sociology, Spanish for careers and professionals, 

sport management, theatre arts, and visual arts.  Grand View also offers a Bachelor of Science 

degree in nursing, as well as an RN to BSN program.  In addition, certificate programs are offered 

in art therapy, entrepreneurship, human resource management, in-house communication, program 

evaluation, real estate, and Spanish, and postbaccalaureate certificates in accounting and manage-

ment in accounting.  Grand View’s School of Graduate Studies offers the MS in Innovative Lead-

ership, with tracks in business, education, and nursing. 

Students are encouraged to develop leadership and team skills through involvement in campus 

organizations, which include intercollegiate and intramural athletics, speech and theater groups, 

major department clubs, student government, and the Grand View Choir.  Active honorary socie-

ties include Alpha Chi, Alpha Mu Gamma, Alpha Psi Omega, Alpha Sigma Lambda, Beta Beta 

Beta, Phi Eta Sigma, Sigma Theta Tau, Sigma Tau Delta, and Theta Alpha Kappa.  Grand View’s 

student leadership program provides opportunities for students without leadership experience to 

seek and develop critical thinking, interpersonal, and networking skills. 

Student athletes compete in men’s baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, football, 

wrestling, and track and field, and women’s basketball, competitive dance, cross country, golf, 

soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball.  Grand View participates in the Midwest Classic 

Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.  Athletic scholarships are 

available. 

---