Vatterott College

Vatterott College is a for-profit career training institute in the fields of Business, Technical, Medical, Trades, Court Reporting, and Culinary. The school currently offers programs at 25 campuses in 10 states across the Midwest and through its online division.

It is operated by Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc.,[1] owned by the private equity firm TA Associates.

The college also offers distance-learning programs, called eCompanion Courses, which allow students to earn credits, diplomas and degrees through online classes. The same resources are available to distance education students as on-campus students.

Locations

Vatterott College currently operates facilities in the following cities:

History

Vatterott College was founded in 1969 in St. Louis, MO by John C. Vatterott Sr.[2] The original name was Urban Technical Centers, Inc., and subsequent changes included Vatterott & Sullivan Educational Center and Vatterott Educational Centers.

The institution changed its name to Vatterott College in 1989 when associate degree (specialized) granting authority was issued by the Accrediting Commission of National Association of Trade and Technical Schools (NATTS), which is now called the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).

In January 1985, the institution opened a facility in St. Ann, Missouri.

The college expanded to Springfield, Joplin, and Independence, Missouri, in April 1991 as a result of a teach-out of students attending Draughon Business College. In August 1991, Vatterott College was authorized to establish branch campuses at these locations. In May 1995, Vatterott College expanded to Quincy, Illinois, as a result of the acquisition of the former Quincy Technical Schools.

In June 1996, the Business and Banking Institutes with locations in Omaha, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, were acquired. Programs were added and the institutions were relocated under the Vatterott brand. In the same year, an additional location of the St. Ann campus opened in Sunset Hills, Missouri. Vatterott College expanded into the following cities as a result of various teach-out agreements: St. Joseph, Missouri, in March 1995; Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1997; Memphis, Tennessee, in 1999; Wichita, Kansas, in 1999; and Cleveland, Ohio in 2001. In 1997, a location was opened in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In December 1999, Vatterott College expanded in Omaha, Nebraska by acquiring the former Universal Technology Institute. In January 2000, a campus was established in O’Fallon, Missouri. In September 2001, Vatterott College purchased the former Omaha College of Health Careers in Omaha, Nebraska, and established a campus. Wellspring Capital Management acquired all Vatterott College locations in January 2003 and named the holding company as Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc.

L’Ecole Culinaire, a culinary school located in St. Louis, was opened in 2004. Vatterott College operations expanded into Texas in 2004, acquiring Court Reporting Institute of Dallas and the Court Reporting Institute of Houston. These two campuses are now closed (2015).

In January 2007, Vatterott Education Center located in Dallas, Texas was approved as a branch campus of the Quincy main institution and has since been closed (2014). The Vatterott Career College, Appling Farms (Memphis, TN) location was opened in April 2008. In November 2008, L’École Culinaire, Cordova, Tennessee, was opened. Vatterott College was established in Fairview Heights, Illinois in August, 2009 with seven diploma programs.

In September 2009, TA Associates acquired Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc. from WellSpring Capital Partners.[3] That year three executives of the College were convicted of conspiring to obtain federal student grants and loans for students who were not eligible by providing false information and documents.[4]

The O’Fallon, Missouri, location relocated in the fall of 2010 to a renovated building in St. Charles, MO. The Court Reporting Institute opened a campus in Arlington, Virginia, in December 2011 and was closed within one year after opening.

"ex’Treme Institute by Nelly", a music recording and production school, was opened in St. Louis Missouri in December, 2011.[5][6]

Pamela Bell is the former CEO of Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc.[7]

In 2014, the college was sued by a student who claimed that she was misled that her credits from the college would be transferable toward a nursing certificate.[8][9]

Accreditation

Vatterott College, Vatterott Career College, Vatterott Education Center and L’École Culinaire are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

References

  1. ↑ Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc.
  2. ↑ "New Haven offers an art-filled retreat close to home". St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 03, 2015 6:45 am • By Amy Bertrand
  3. ↑ Vatterott Sold to TA Associates, St. Louis Business Journal, Sept. 21, 2009. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/09/21/daily29.html
  4. ↑ "For-Profit College Owner, Who Used Strippers As Lure, Goes On Trial". Huffington Post, October 20 2015
  5. ↑ Nelly's Ex'Treme Institute now open to students, KSDK-TV. http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/288651/3/Nellys-music-school-now-open-to-students
  6. ↑ Nelly to Open Production School in St. Louis, BET.com, Nov. 27, 2011. http://www.bet.com/news/music/2011/11/27/nelly-to-open-production-school-in-st-louis.html
  7. ↑ Vatterott College Names Bell CEO, St. Louis Business Journal, June 25, 2007. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2007/06/25/daily4.html
  8. ↑ "Appeals court upholds student’s case against Vatterott College". Kansas City Star, August 26, 2014
  9. ↑ "Vatterott College told to pay Belton woman $13 million". KCTV News5, Jun 19, 2013 Chris Oberholtz, Amy Anderson and DeAnn Smith
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