Fact Friday 295 - King's College
Personal grooming and personality development were part of the curriculum in 1945. THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Happy Friday!
Established in 1901 and a fixture in Elizabeth since the 1950s, King’s College (formerly King’s Business College),
a for-profit trade school on the outskirts of uptown Charlotte, taught accounting, typing and “secretarial science” to countless Charlotteans. In fact, over half of the students (1,870) came from the Charlotte area. Students could earn both diplomas and Associate's degrees. Major areas of study spanned three categories: Business, Technology, and Healthcare. Most programs were
accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools and the Medical Assisting Program was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Pritchett Hall at King's College. Credit: Bobby Brandon.
After nearly 118 years, the school closed in December 2018 citing low enrollment. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Education calculated debt-to-earning rates for career training programs in hopes of giving students more information about their hopes of paying off loans. If the estimated annual 10-year loan payment exceeded 8 percent of the average income for that field, the department labeled the program a bad risk for federal student aid. Three of the nine programs at King's fell close to the 8 percent mark — office administration was just above and medical assisting and graphic design were just below. The others — accounting, computer programming, medical assisting (diploma), network management, paralegal studies and travel/tourism management — were well below that mark. None of the King's programs were near the 12 percent mark that led to the label of "failing program."
Still, overall cost and competing programs in the region were likely contributing factors to the declining enrollment.
Here are some full-page ads from the 1940s and 1950s published in the Charlotte Observer.
King’s appealed to high school and college grads as well as veterans and those seeking a new career path. 1947 THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Ad for the 1948 summer session. THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Business Education: “The Foundation of Business Success!” 1949 THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Modern dictaphone training was offered in 1950. THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Until next week,
Chris.
Email me at chris@704shop.com if you have interesting Charlotte facts you’d like to share or just to provide feedback!
Information taken from:
Wikipedia.org, "King's College (Charlotte, North Carolina)"
The Charlotte Observer, "Another for-profit college in Charlotte is closing. Here's why," by Ann Doss Helms. June 7, 2018.
The Charlotte Observer, "King's Business College: a look back," by Maria Albrough. June 8, 2018.
“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.” – Frederick Douglass