Northrop University

Last updated
Northrop University
The crest of Northrop University.png
Former name
Northrop Aeronautical Institute (1942 to March 1959)
Northrop Institute of Technology (March 1959 to 1974)
TypePrivate
ActiveNovember 1945–1991
Founder Jack Northrop
Parent institution
 Northrop Aircraft
Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Officer in charge
James L. McKinley, director (1946)
President B.J. Shell (1972-1989)
John Beljan (1989-1991)
Address
1108 West Arbor Vitae Street
,
Inglewood
,
California
,
90306
,
United States
Campus18 acres (7.3 ha)

Northrop University, formerly Northrop Institute of Technology and Northrop Aeronautical Institute, was a private for-profit college in Inglewood, California, focused on aviation, engineering, science, mathematics, and computing. It was established in the 1940s as one of the earliest examples of a corporate university. [1] It operated from 1946 to 1991. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Toward the end of 1940, Northrop Aircraft Corporation started a training program for airplane mechanics who would, then, work in its manufacturing facility in Hawthorne, California. [4] In 1942, Northrop Aircraft started a program called Department 95 that provided technical training exclusively for military personnel during World War II. [5] [6] It was overseen by Jack Northrop and James L. McKenley. [5]

After the war, John Northrop formed the Northrop Aeronautical Institute because he recognized the shortage of master mechanics, airline maintenance specialists, and aeronautical engineers for civilian aviation. [7] Classes started through home study in January 1946 and expanded to on-site in June 1946. [8] [9] The school targeted male students, mostly veterans of the war, as well as employees of Northrop Aircraft. [10] [9] The first semester has 412 students, with 750 students by the end of the academic year. [9] [6] The school admitted 1,000 students in its second year. [6]

Its first director was James L. McKinley. [11] Charles Edward Chapel became its research and development director in 1946. [12] Its 80 faculty included employees of Nortrup Corporation and, eventually, alumni of the school. [9] [6]

August 1975 Convocation Northrop University August 1975 Convocation Northrop University, California, USA.jpg
August 1975 Convocation Northrop University

In May 1953, Northrop Aircraft decided to sell the school so it could focus on producing airplanes. [6] The Northrop Aeronautical Institute merged with California Flyers, a school in Inglewood, and became an independent, for-profit college. [13] [1] [6] In March 1959, the school announced its new name, Northrop Institute of Technology, and the start of its bachelor of science curriculum. [14]

It became Northrop University in 1974 and offered master's degrees. [9] The university's mission statement was "to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society." [15] By 1977, the university had nearly 14,000 graduates in its aviation program. [16]

In 1989, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accused the university of improprieties in bookkeeping, credits, and the recruitment of foreign students. [13] This threatened the school's accreditation with that agency. [13] B.J. Shell who had been the university's president for seventeen years, stepped down. [13] John Beljan, previously the provost of California State University, became interim president. [13] [17] Despite Beljan's successful rescue of the school's accreditation, student enrollment from dropped from 1,800 to 928 in 1991. [18] [13]

In 1990, James and Alice Rice purchased Northrop University and merged it with Rice Aviation, establishing Northrop Rice USA. [3] In May 1991, Northrop University announced that it was ending its degree programs and cutting the related staff due to low enrollment and financial problems. [13] Students in its degree-based programs were assisted in transferring to other institutions after the June 1991 semester. [13] At this time, the Inglewood campus was closed. [3]

Northrop Rice USA established the Northrop Rice Aviation Institute of Technology which offered training in avionics, helicopter maintenance, and technical training. [13] [5] [3] Starting in 1998, Northrop Rice Aviation Institute was sold several times, passing from Redstone College to Crimson College and to Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology. As of 2023, the latter operates the Northrop Rice Aviation Institute of Technology as an online aviation maintenance training program. [3] On September 12, 2022, it started offering advanced training in person at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas . [3]

Campus

Northrop Aeronautical Institute was originally located in the Northrop Aircraft plant at 1637 East Broadway at Northrop Field.in Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, California. [7] [19] It consisted of three purpose-built structures: a main building that included administration, classrooms, and engineering drafting rooms; a building for laboratories; and a building with modern shops/ [11] In January 1946, Northrop purchased a former Army barracks that had been temporarily installed on property owned by the City of Los Angeles and relocated it to property adjacent to Northrop Aircraft to use as dormitories for 150 to 170 students. [10]

After it was sold and merged, the school moved to 5800 West Arbor Vitae Street in Inglewood, California near the Los Angeles airport in 1953. [13] [20] [16] Its School of Law was located at 1108 West Arbor Vitae Street in Los Angeles, California. [21] By 1977, the campus consisted of eighteen acres. [16]

The Central Coast Institute of Technology was founded in Santa Barbara in 1978 and was accredited as a satellite campus of Northrop University in 1979.

Academics

Curriculum

When it opened, Northrop Aeronautical Institute specialized in aeronautical engineering and training for airline maintenance mechanics. [8] It offered a two-year aeronautical engineering technician associate's degree, an A & E master airplane and engineer mechanic program, and fifty-week certificate programs for engine mechanics, airline maintenance specialists, and airplane and engine maintenance workers. [7] [19] [14] [16] A 1946 ad, claimed, "The Northrop Aeronautical Institute brings to aviation training completely new standards." [7]

In March 1959, the school's program expanded to include a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering, reflecting the industry's need for space engineers. [14] [13] In 1975, it offered bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting, aeronautical sciences, business administration and management, computer science, electrical engineering, design engineering project management, and mechanical engineering. [9] [1] It also added business and law schools. [13] [22] [1] [23] The Law School published the Northrop University Law Journal of Aerospace, Energy and the Environment and the Northrop University Law Journal of Aerospace, Business, and Taxation. [21] [24] [18] The latter started in 1979 and was published annually. [18]

Starting in 1978, it offered bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical sciences, computer science, electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering programs at its satellite campus at Central Coast Institute of Technology. In 1991, the university issued 309 master's degrees and 189 baccalaureate degrees. [18]

Admissions

In the fall of 1991, the freshman class included students from 29 states and 53 countries; 25 percent were from California. [18] The freshmen had a mean SAT score of 500 verbal and 500 math. [18] Sixty percent of applicants were accepted. [18] Total students that year included 755 full-time and 173 part-time. [18]

Accreditation and honors

The university was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 1960. [9] [18]

Library and museum

In 1991, the university's library consisted of 66,135 books, 75,871 government documents, 100,000 microforms, and 980 audiovisual materials. [18] The library subscribed to 400 periodicals. [18] The campus also included a Law Library. [18]

In 1975, Jack Northrop made a significant donation to create the American Hall of Aviation, a museum that became part of the library's collection. [9] [18] The museum included the David D. Hatfield Collection of Aviation History which was the largest collection of aviation history ever to be displayed at a single location, including more than 500,000 objects. [9] [16]

Student life

Housing

In 1991, fifteen percent of students lived on campus in dormitories. [18]

Organizations and activities

Northrop University was home to three social fraternities. [2] Alpha Epsilon Rho was a local fraternity established in 1963. [2] In 1968, Alpha Epsilon Rho became a chapter of the national fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon that was active at the university through 1993. [25] [2] in addition, the national fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon was active there from 1972 to 1976. [2]

The university also had a chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, a professional college aviation fraternity, that was chartered in March 1960. [26] [27] Its chapter of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi was chartered in 1974. [28]

Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC were offered through UCLA Extension the University of Southern California, and Loyola Marymount University, respectively. [18]

Student publications included LOG, a weekly newspaper.

Sports

Students at Northrop University formed a Sepak takraw or kick volleyball in 1986. Malaysia Airlines sponsored the team to represent the United States at the national tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 1987; the Northrop team came in first place. [29]

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University</span> Private U.S. university system specializing in aviation and aerospace

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs. Founded at Lunken Field in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1926, its main campuses are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona. It is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace. It has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winston E. Scott</span> American navy officer and astronaut (born 1950)

Winston Elliott "Win" Scott is a retired United States Navy Captain and former NASA astronaut. He served as a mission specialist on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997 logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including three spacewalks totaling 19 hours and 26 minutes. Often known by his nickname of "Win", he was also a Naval Aviator and initially flew helicopters and later transitioned to fighter aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology</span> Private college in East Elmhurst, New York, U.S.

Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology is a private college in East Elmhurst, New York, specialized in aviation and engineering education. It is adjacent to LaGuardia Airport but was founded in Newark, New Jersey in 1932 before moving to New York City in 1940. The college's most recent name change, to honor a founder, was on September 1, 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Ramo</span> American engineer, businessman, and author

Simon "Si" Ramo was an American engineer, businessman, and author. He led development of microwave and missile technology and is sometimes known as the father of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). He also developed General Electric's electron microscope. He played prominent roles in the formation of two Fortune 500 companies, Ramo-Wooldridge and Bunker Ramo Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha Eta Rho</span> American professional aviation fraternity

Alpha Eta Rho (ΑΗΡ) is a coed international professional college aviation fraternity. Established in 1929 at the University of Southern California, it was the first professional aviation fraternity. It connects the aviation industry with educational institutions and mentors college students toward successful careers in aviation, aeronautical engineering, and aerospace sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David S. Lewis</span>

David Sloan Lewis Jr. was an aeronautical engineer who led aerospace and defense giant General Dynamics for 14 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institut supérieur de l'aéronautique et de l'espace</span> French engineering college

The Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace is a French grande école of engineering, founded in 1909. It is the world's first dedicated institute of aerospace engineering. ISAE-SUPAERO is part of University of Toulouse, ISSAT, PEGASUS, GEA, Toulouse Tech, CESAER and Aerospace Valley. The institute is ranked highly among Europe's engineering schools.

Jan Roskam was a Dutch-born American aircraft designer. He was the Deane E. Ackers Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kansas. He was also the author of eleven books on airplane design and flight dynamics and over 160 papers on the topics of aircraft aerodynamics, performance, design and flight controls. He founded the company DARcorporation with Willem Anemaat.

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach is a residential campus of Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs, and it is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The university offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in arts, sciences, aviation, business, and engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott</span> Private aeronautical university in Prescott, Arizona, U.S.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott is a residential campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. The university offers bachelor of science degrees in applied science, aviation, business, computers & technology, engineering, security, intelligence & safety, and space. The Prescott campus also offers master's degrees in Safety Science, Security & Intelligence, and Cyber Intelligence & Security.

Korea Aerospace University is a private university located in Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerospace engineering</span> Branch of engineering

Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is similar, but deals with the electronics side of aerospace engineering.

Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is a college within Saint Louis University. It formed from the pre-existing Parks Air College, founded by Oliver Parks in 1927.

Charles Edward Chapel was an American politician, college professor, and technical writer best known for his articles and books about firearms.

Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology (Spartan) is a private for-profit aviation college in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was originally established to provide pilot and technicians for Spartan Aircraft Company but outlived its parent company and continues to train pilots and mechanics into the 21st Century. The main campus is adjacent to Tulsa International Airport, with another campus used for flight training at Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport.

William Rees Sears was an American aeronautical engineer and educator who worked at Caltech, Northrop Aircraft, Cornell University, and the University of Arizona. He was an editor of the Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences from 1955 to 1963 and the founding Editor of the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing School of Aeronautics</span> School in Oakland, California (1926–1945)

The Boeing School of Aeronautics was a school that operated in Oakland, California from 1929 to 1945. It taught the design, maintenance, and flying of aircraft made by the Boeing Airplane Company. In its later years, the school was known as the United Air Lines Training Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard G. Thomas</span> American test pilot

Richard G. Thomas was an American test pilot, who flew the Tacit Blue, and several spin tests on the F-5F program, including the first flights on both aircraft for the Northrop Corporation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Allen, Mark (2002). The Corporate University Handbook: Designing, Managing, and Growing a Successful Program. AMACOM. p. 6. ISBN   978-0-8144-0711-0 – via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (August 5, 2003) "Closed Institutions" Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed September 10, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Northrop Rice Aviation Institute of Technology – online learning for aviation maintenance" . Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Fred (2016-06-29). Northrop: An Aeronautical History. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 16. ISBN   978-1-5326-0356-3 – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 3 Lord, Paul A. (2004). "Aerospace Engineering at Northrop University". In McCormick, Barnes Warnock; Newberry, Conrad F.; Jumper, Eric (eds.). Aerospace Engineering Education During the First Century of Flight. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 899. ISBN   978-1-56347-710-2 – via Google Books.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Anderson, Fred (2016-06-29). Northrop: An Aeronautical History. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 82. ISBN   978-1-5326-0356-3 – via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Northrop Aircraft Inc. Announces the Establishment of the Northrop Aeronautical Institute". The Los Angeles Times. 1946-01-02. p. 100. Retrieved 2023-09-10– via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 "New Air School". The Bull Horn. Norman, Oklahoma. 1945-12-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-09-10– via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "History". Northrop University Student Records. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Public Housing Agency Named at Hawthorne". The Los Angeles Times. 1946-01-14. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-09-10– via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 "New Aviation School". The Pomona Progress Bulletin. Pomona, California. 1946-02-20. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-09-10– via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 "Iowan an Expert in Many Fields". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 1946-03-10. p. 29. Retrieved 2023-09-10– via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Northrop University to Drop Degree Programs, Cut Faculty". The Los Angeles Times. 1991-05-10. p. 548. Retrieved 2023-09-10– via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 3 "Northrop Offering Degrees in Science". Los Angeles Mirror. 1959-03-24. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-09-10– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Mission Statement". Northrop University Student Records. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Times Have Changed..." Flying Magazine. 101 (3): 133. September 1977 – via Google Books.
  17. ↑ Gordon, Larry Gordon (1989-09-23). "Northrop U. Hires Provost From Cal State Long Beach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 American Universities and Colleges. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. 2014-10-08. p. California 235. ISBN   978-3-11-085048-2 – via Google Books.
  19. 1 2 Lord, Paul A. (2004). "Aerospace Engineering at Northrop University". In McCormick, Barnes Warnock; Newberry, Conrad F.; Jumper, Eric (eds.). Aerospace Engineering Education During the First Century of Flight. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 900. ISBN   978-1-56347-710-2.
  20. ↑ "On the Job with... Tony Owen '66". Flying Magazine. 6 (104): 28. June 1979 – via Google Books.
  21. 1 2 Northrop University Law Journal of Aerospace, Energy and the Environment. Vol. 5. School of Law, Northrop University. 1985 – via Google Books.
  22. ↑ "California State Bar, General Statistics Report, July 2001 California Bar Examination". Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  23. ↑ Lord, Paul A. (2004). "Aerospace Engineering at Northrop University". In McCormick, Barnes Warnock; Newberry, Conrad F.; Jumper, Eric (eds.). Aerospace Engineering Education During the First Century of Flight. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 903. ISBN   978-1-56347-710-2
  24. ↑ Northrop University Law Journal of Aerospace, Business, and Taxation. Vol. 8. School of Law, Northrop University. 1988 – via Google Books.
  25. ↑ "Find a Chapter | Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity". www.tke.org. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  26. ↑ Robson, John, ed. (1963). Baird's Manuel of American College Fraternities (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 498–499.
  27. ↑ "Chapters - Alpha Eta Rho". 2014-02-26. Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  28. ↑ "Information Book Chapters and Districts". Tau Beta Pi. 2008-07-23. Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2023-09-12– via web.archive.org.
  29. 1 2 Northrop University Magazine, December 1987, vol 3, no. 4.
  30. ↑ Murphy, Sean (June 10, 2016). "What do we know about the Jet Car?". www.figmentfly.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  31. 1 2 3 Hadland, Tony; Lessing, Hans-Erhard (2014-03-28). Bicycle Design: An Illustrated History. MIT Press. p. 489. ISBN   978-0-262-32222-5 – via Google Books.
  32. ↑ "Robbyanto Budiman, Wahana Ottomitra Multiartha PT: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  33. ↑ "Robert Citron, Private Space Pioneer, Dies at 79 –". www.spacesafetymagazine.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  34. ↑ "Taiwan Review - The New Cabinet". 2013-12-17. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  35. ↑ "Obituary for Francis Marion McDaniel at Kinkade Funeral Chapel". www.kinkadefunerals.com. February 2018. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  36. ↑ "Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for Defence". Ministry of Defense, Government of Pakistan. Retrieved September 10, 2023– via Archive.today.[ dead link ]
  37. ↑ "Suphajee Suthumpun Net Worth (2023) – wallmine.com". wallmine.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.