Midstate College

Midstate College
Established	1888
Type	Private university
Chairman	R. Dale Bunch[1]
President	Meredith N. Bunch (2010–)[1]
Students	685 (in 2010)[1]
Location	Peoria, Illinois, USA 40°45′42″N 89°35′57″W / 40.76167°N 89.59917°W / 40.76167; -89.59917Coordinates: 40°45′42″N 89°35′57″W / 40.76167°N 89.59917°W / 40.76167; -89.59917
Campus	Urban
Former names	Brown's Business College of Commerce (1888–1960) Midstate College of Commerce (1960–1970)
Website	www.midstate.edu

Midstate College is a small, private vocational school and proprietary college in Peoria, Illinois.

History

Midstate College's origins date back to 1857, when a commercial school was started in Peoria. In 1865, a similar school opened, and the two schools combined in 1868. In 1888, the merged school was bought by George W. Brown, principal of Jacksonville Business College, and named Brown's Business College of Commerce.^{[2][3][dead link]}

In 1902, a new building was completed at 240 South (now Southwest) Jefferson Street, on the corner of Jefferson and Harrison Streets downtown, and Brown's Business College moved into the second and third floors.^[3]

Over time, Mr. Brown increased his properties to 20 institutions, including Cairo, Decatur, Jacksonville and Rockford in Illinois; Davenport and Muscatine, Iowa; and St. Louis, Missouri.^[3]

Mr. Brown continued ownership of the Peoria school until 1913, then sold it to a Mr. Reed. Reed sold the school in 1960 to A.R. Beard, Don Beard, and Arline H. Bunch, who renamed the school Midstate College of Commerce. In 1965, the Bunch family purchased the stock, and renamed the school to simply Midstate College in 1970.^[2] R. Dale Bunch became president around 1965.^[1]

In October 1997,^[2] Midstate moved from its 95-year-old downtown location to 411 West Northmoor Road, near the corner of Northmoor Road and Knoxville Avenue (Illinois Route 40). The downtown building was bought by a developer, was renovated, and became known as the Prairie Building in 1998.^{[4][dead link]}

In November 1999, Midstate was approved as a four-year institution and began offering a Bachelor of Business Administration degree; other bachelor degrees have been added since.^[2] The Arline H. Bunch Business Center opened in January 2002.^[2]

Bunch's daughter, Meridith N. Bunch, became college president in November 2010; R. Dale Bunch remained chairman of the board.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Daughter fills father's post at Midstate College". PJStar.com (Peoria, Illinois: Gatehouse Media). 2010-12-06. http://www.pjstar.com/news/x2050934471/Daughter-fills-fathers-post-as-president-of-Midstate-College. Retrieved 2010-12-07. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "History of the College". Peoria, Illinois: Midstate College. 2010-06-30. http://www.midstate.edu/Overview/history.html. Retrieved 2010-12-07. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Brown Business College". Peoria, Illinois: Prairie Property Group One. 2008-02-19. http://www.prairiebuilding.com/htdocs/brown_college.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-24. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "Prairie Building History". Peoria, Illinois: Prairie Property Group One. 2008-02-19. http://www.prairiebuilding.com/htdocs/history_netscape.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-24.  Requires JavaScript.^{[dead link]}