John F. Kennedy University was aprivate university based in California with offices inSan Jose, California.[1] The university was founded in 1965 to offer degrees and certificates fornon-traditional higher education students, taught mostly by adjunct faculty. In April 2009, the university became anaffiliate of theNational University System, initially as an independent university.[2] The institution closed in 2020 with programs transferred to other National University schools.[3]
The institution was organized as acollegiate university comprising fourconstituent colleges which conferredundergraduate andgraduate degrees in museum studies,business,psychology,law, andmedicine. The university did not own atraditional campus and instead taught either throughdistance education orblended learning. Physical locations of the university for blended learning programs were typically housed in leased office sites and business parks.
John F. Kennedy University College of Undergraduate Studies was accredited by theWASC Senior College and University Commission (one of the successors of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges).[4] The college offered certificate programs, undergraduate degrees, and graduate degrees, including a JD-MBA dual degree and MBA. The college also housed the university's experimental Institute of Entrepreneurial Leadership (IEL) which offered certificate programs andlow-cost office spaces. TheSanford Institute of Philanthropy was also housed at the college.
The graduate program in Museum Studies at John F. Kennedy University had roots atLone Mountain College in San Francisco; program directors included Diane Frankel; Gail Anderson; and Marjorie Schwarzer. The program offered master's degrees and certificates in museum collection management and registration, education and interpretation, and later the program developed a dual-MBA/collections and dual MBA/education program.
The College of Psychology and Holistic Studies was agraduate institution which offered certificates, master's, and doctoral degrees. The college heldexperiential learning curriculums through three community-basedclinical internship programs. The counseling psychology program housed student-operated art camps which taught self-confidence and self-expression to elementary-aged children. The Family Resiliency Project, also under the counseling psychology program, operated with Californian school districts for family counseling and childhood behavioral therapy.[5] The Solt Evans LEAP Project in the Sports Psychology program provided disadvantaged youth life skills lessons through athletics.[6] The college also operated threeUniversity Counseling centers in California which provided affordable, confidential access tomental health services.
John F. Kennedy University College of Law offered a four-year, part-time program, and a three-year full-time program. The college housed a housing advocacy and legal clinic offering free legal services to elderly locals at risk ofeviction. The college had an enrollment of 160 students at the time of closure. Although it conferred theJuris Doctor degree, the college was approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners of theState Bar of California rather than the professionally recognizedAmerican Bar Association.[7] The lack ofABA accreditation limited the ability of graduates to take bar exams and practice as attorneys outside thestate of California. The college had a California Bar first-attempt pass rate of 33% in October 2020.[8]
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