Rasmussen College History
With more than 107 years of academic excellence, Rasmussen College is a trusted and respected Higher Learning Institution. Learn about the path that we took to get to where we are today, and visit often to learn more about the history of Rasmussen College.
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1900 - 1920
The Aim and Purpose of Rasmussen Practical Business School is twofold:
- To prepare young men and women for responsible positions in all lines of business.
- To help pupils win their way to a noble manhood or womanhood.
-- excerpt from Rasmussen Practical Business School Ad, 1908
Walter Rasmussen founded Rasmussen College at the turn of the century to meet the needs of a growing business environment. Originally named the Rasmussen Practical School of Business, the first campus opened its doors on September 1, 1 900 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The college was a welcome addition to the city's landscape, where the promise of top-notch secretarial and accounting programs gave eager new students the skills to succeed in the new business climate.
1921 - 1940
"Familiarity with real business methods, not theories, not philosophies, not ethical creeds, but a genuine knowledge of commercial affairs, is an asset which can be converted into wealth, honor, and preferment."
-- excerpt from Rasmussen Practical Business School Advertisement "Start the New Year Right", 1923
Though the Great Depression hit Minnesota in 1929, Rasmussen College remained a strong establishment in St. Paul, continuing to offer programs and teach the emerging business class. Women were given the right to vote just a few years earlier, and their importance in the workplace was now recognized. As a result, the young women of Rasmussen College now sat side by side with young men, learning to become secretaries, clerks, bookkeepers, and stenographers. By the end of the '30s, the economy had bounced back, and Rasmussen's graduates were ready to meet the new business environment head-on.
1941 - 1960
"You are young. You are wide-awake. You are ambitious! You don't want to be stuck in some mediocre job without any opportunity to meet nice people and improve yourself. You want other ambitious, modern young people like yourself, and enjoy with them the hours of work as well as the hours of relaxation and social activity"
-- Excerpt from Rasmussen College Advertisement "The Business Training Way", 1947
When Walter Rasmussen retired in 1945, he named Walter C. Nemitz to succeed him as director of Rasmussen College. Nemitz had been with the school since 1934, as both a teacher and an assistant principal. Under Nemitz's new leadership, Rasmussen College received a number of upgrades: fluorescent lighting was installed, 100 new typewriters were purchased, and new calculating, adding and duplicating machines were added to the training programs. By 1950, the year of the college’s 50th anniversary, Rasmussen had graduated over 22,400 students. By 1960, Rasmussen's students were not only graduating to become secretaries, stenographers, typists, accountants, bookkeepers and clerks, but also machine operators and salespersons.
1961 - 1980
"Men and Women of all age groups, of varied academic background and life experience are finding out the hard way that knowledge and personal experience are not enough to satisfy selective employers."
-- Article excerpt from "Back to School in the City", St.Paul Downtowner, April 10, 1975
Between 1961 and 1980, it became clear that the traditional educational path was not always the most effective. University graduates were having a hard time finding positions, while the demand for business-trained secretaries and accountants skyrocketed. Because of the increased interest in business college graduates at this time, Rasmussen College grew quickly. Two new campuses were added, and the court-reporting program was expanded to include a new business curriculum. By 1980, Rasmussen College was placing a high percentage of its students in the workplace - a trend that would continue through the present day.
1981 - 2000
The period between 1981 and 2000 defined Rasmussen College as we know it today. In 1986, Rasmussen College became the first two-year career school (public or private) granted approval to offer the AAS degree in Minnesota. Nine years later, Rasmussen received accreditation from AHIMA for the HIT program, and officially changed its name from Rasmussen Business College to Rasmussen College.
In 2000, Rasmussen College celebrated its 100th Anniversary, marking a century of leadership and innovation in career education. What began as just a single building in St. Paul became four state of the art campuses sprawled across the great state of Minnesota..
2001 - Present
"I love to see the improvements and growth that students make from their initial visit to our campus and watch them transition into their new life as a college graduate. It's the reason I do what I do, it's all about making a difference.”
-- Rasmussen College staff member
In the past three years, Rasmussen College has added the Brooklyn Park, Lake Elmo / Woodbury, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Rockford, Illinois campuses to its system, and recently received a six year grant of Regional Accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.
From its simple beginnings as a small business college, Rasmussen has experienced more than a century of growth. Now, it operates 12 campuses that serve students in Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin (opening in October 2007). More than 50 programs are offered, including the recently added Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Today, Rasmussen College is proud to offer educational programs that teach the practical career skills sought by today's employers.
