With Davenport University being an independent, degree-granting, school of business, they have been criticized for quite some time about their style of education. Davenport was ahead of their time in the vocational education department and always has been. When Davenport College made the change to Davenport University in the year 2000, change was perceived as a good thing. The school was steady with new enrollments and the “average student” was no longer average. People were enrolling straight out of high-school, and some enrolled after being out of school for many years. The fact that the Lansing location was going to be offering more classes than just business classes was a key change that helped to benefit the organization by expanding their target market. This change brought in new students that wanted to better their education, but not solely in the business field. By offering technology, health, and various other courses on top of the accounting, management and marketing courses already available, Davenport University became more appealing to the public’s eye. Davenport University now offers degrees in three fields: business, technology, and health professions.
Finding information about how the public perceived the change within Davenport University was a dead-end road. Because Davenport University is a private institution, there is no information about the public’s stance on the transformation that the organization underwent. Being a student at Davenport University, and being here before and after the modification, I can say from experience that I have always looked at Davenport University as a community-oriented institution. Davenport allows students to “make a life” by teaching them how to “make a living”. Davenport University prides themselves in employing professors and instructors that work in the fields that they educate in. Davenport University prepares the student for a career, not just a job. With the Lansing location being such a compact place, the class sizes are smaller and the students are able to have more of a one-on-one with the instructors, they have a better chance at getting to know other students, and the pressure of “college” is lessoned.
Another advantage that came with the institutions transformation was the opportunity to obtain a Master’s degree in the field that was being studied. Before Davenport became a University, the institution offered various certificates, diplomas, and two and four year degrees. Now obtainable degrees have been lengthened.
When there is change within an organization there are bound to be advantages and disadvantages. I have mentioned some of the advantages seen by the public, now I will state the leading disadvantage of the said change. Financial burden! In 1886 tuition at Davenport was said to be between five and fifty dollars, depending on the field of study. Today the cost of tuition is approximately 400.00 per credit hour. “With the price of tuition going up and up and up, you can’t afford an education”, stated Kendra Blake, a Davenport University alumnus. Even though there is financial aid available to qualified students, the price of tuition at Davenport makes it the most expensive school in the state of Michigan. Students would like to see Davenport University become a less expensive institution, and by doing so, I believe more students would enroll, attend, and commit to.
We are not sure what diagnostic table was used, (if one was used at all) when Davenport University made its change from a business college to a university. We as a group feel as though the four-frame model would have been the best diagnostic table to use in diagnosing change within Davenport University. The four-frame model touches base on the structural frame, which in this case is Davenport University’s input and output. The human resource frame directs its interest on the relationships between the institution and the people that it consists of, such as students, faculty and administrative members. The political frame proposes that we look at organizations as areas where players interrelate in search of a variety of objectives, and last but not least is the symbolic frame that advocates that the fundamental nature of a company lies within its culture.
It is very important when an organization is implementing change to make sure that a frame-work model is used as a guideline to make sure that the company is using and including all of its resources to help them run an effective, efficient and better performing business.
We will end this paper with a quote from Donald Maine, retired chancellor of Davenport University. “I will do my best to see that we remain true to the college motto established so many years ago by M.E. Davenport: Make a Living, Make a Life, Make a Contribution”.

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