 Former location in Overland Park | |
| Type | Private, for-profit |
|---|---|
| Active | 1921 (1921)–April 15, 2016 (2016-04-15) |
| President | John Mucci (1994–2016) |
| Location | Overland Park, Kansas |
Wright Career College was a career-oriented school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, that operated from 1921 until April 15, 2016. It was originally named Dickinson's Business School. The school offered two-year associate degree programs and certificates in healthcare, veterinary, fitness, business, accounting and other related fields.
History
The college was founded in 1921 to train typists for Kansas City businesses and a secretarial program was added in 1953. A shorthand system was developed that became widely accepted in the Kansas City area. Joseph Bryan Dickinson published a book under the title of Dickinson Shorthand in 1928.
James Miller Jr. gained a controlling interest in the school in 1989 and renamed it "Wright Business College". He later changed it to "Wright Career College". The college was reported to have contracted with for-profit corporations owned by its trustees. Wright paid $14 million between 2007 and 2013 to the Miller-owned corporation Media Resources Inc. for advertising expenses. An additional $2.6 million was paid directly to the couple as salaries during the same period. In 2013, hundreds of students filed a lawsuit with accusations of "a systematic, deceptive marketing scheme" and sought a refund of the students' tuition plus unspecified damages.
On April 15, 2016, over a thousand students and 200 staff members at five campus locations were affected when the school closed due to Wright Career College filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation under its Corporate name Mission Group Kansas, Inc. (Which held the corporate name since September 1994). All students were notified by email on a Thursday evening that the school would not be open the next day. Many students of the college have worked to file a class-action lawsuit to seek refunds for tuition.
References
- Stafford, Diane (April 15, 2016). "Wright Career College files for bankruptcy". Kansas City Star. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- "Wright Career College". School & College Listings. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- "Wright Career College". Alumnus.net. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- Catalog of Copyright Entries. Vol. New Series Volume 25 for the year 1928. Washington, DC: United States Library of Congress. 1928. p. 692. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- Mattes, Margaret; Shireman, Robert (November 14, 2017). "Was Wright Wrong?". The Century Foundation. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- Augustine, Martin (April 15, 2017). "Wright Career College closes doors". KMBC-TV 9. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- "Wright Career College closes its doors". KETV-7 (Omaha, NE). April 15, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- Williams, Mara Rose (July 5, 2019). "Graduates of closed Kansas college suing Betsy DeVos for millions in loan debt relief". Kansas City Star. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
| Kansas colleges and universities | |
|---|---|
| Public institutions | |
| Private institutions | |
| Community colleges | |
| Technical colleges | |
| Federal/military colleges | |
| Defunct colleges | |
| Governing body: Kansas Board of Regents | |
37°40′57″N 97°14′50″W / 37.68240°N 97.24732°W / 37.68240; -97.24732
Categories:- Former for-profit universities and colleges in the United States
- Universities and colleges established in 1921
- 1921 establishments in Kansas
- Educational institutions disestablished in 2016
- Defunct private universities and colleges in Kansas
- Companies that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2016
- Companies that have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy