“The scenery of Walden is on a humble scale, and, though very beautiful, does not approach to grandeur, nor can it much concern one who has not long frequented it or lived by its shore; yet this pond is so remarkable for its depth and purity as to merit a particular description.”

—Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854)

 

“Evidence for the failure of higher education is all around us,” wrote Harold L. “Bud” Hodgkinson in a 1969 issue of the journal Soundings. “Many of our brightest students are telling us that higher education is insulating them from reality rather than assisting them to peel off its infinite layers.” Though more a critique of the academy than a blueprint for a new institution, “ Walden U.: A Working Paper” helped inspire the university that bears the name made famous by Henry David Thoreau.

 

At the same time Hodgkinson was writing about the need for change in higher education, two New York teachers, Bernie and Rita Turner, fresh from graduate work at the New School for Social Research, became interested in effecting social change by developing a new kind of institution for higher education, one that focused on significant problems affecting society from the vantage point of the professional, and one that permitted professionals the opportunity to continue working while earning a degree. Thus, Walden University was born.

 

Walden began by offering an Ed.D. degree focused on dissertation research for midcareer professionals who had postponed finishing their doctoral degrees. Conferring its first degree in 1971 and implementing a formal curriculum in 1977, Walden provided learner-centered programs to professionals in education, business, and government, who pursued doctoral degrees in related disciplines, including health and human services. In 1982, Walden’s academic office moved from Bonita Springs, Florida to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in an effort to gain accreditation in a region that nurtures innovative education. The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools granted Walden University full regional accreditation status in 1990.

 

After more than 20 years with the university, satisfied that it was well-established, the Turners decided it was time to move on. Don Ackerman, a partner in a venture capital firm in Florida, became the university’s owner and chairman of the board in 1992. It was at this time that today’s Walden began to emerge, an online university with curricula that emphasized a scholar-practitioner philosophy: applying theoretical and empirical knowledge to professional practice with the goal of improving organizations, educational institutions, and whole communities. To further advance educational access, in 1995, Walden offered its first master’s degree, the Master of Science in Educational Change and Technology Innovation. It was the first online master’s degree program in the country. The Web-based Ph.D. in Psychology program was introduced in 1997, and after a rigorous 2-year self-study process, the North Central Association reaccredited the university for 7 years in 1998.

 

Since the 1990s, new master’s programs have been added in education, psychology, public health, nursing, public administration, and management. Walden has also added a comprehensive brief residency program for doctoral students, along with a virtual research library. The university’s academic programs were organized first into divisions; today they are organized under schools and colleges: Education; Engineering and Applied Science; Management; Public Policy and Administration; and Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences (Health Sciences, Nursing, Psychology, and Social Service).

 

In February 2002, following the transfer of majority interest in Walden University from Don Ackerman to Sylvan Ventures, the university began the process of changing from a graduate institution to a comprehensive university, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. In 2004, Ackerman sold his remaining interest in Walden to Laureate Education, Inc. (formerly Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc.). In January 2005, Walden University merged with National Technological University, an online engineering graduate school also owned by Laureate Education, Inc. National Technological University became the NTU College of Engineering and Applied Science at Walden, providing the university reach into another major profession in need of access to high-quality education. With this change in ownership, the university has made significant improvements in its infrastructure, its faculty, and its student services.

 

Walden’s academic offices are located in Minneapolis. University support services are located in Baltimore, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, and include student recruitment, admissions, outreach, finances, financial aid, new-program and electronic-classroom development, learning-platform support and help desk, project management, human resources, Web and software applications development and support, and information technology infrastructure development and support.