Herzing's Storied History: Reflecting on 60 Years

This year, Herzing University celebrates their 60^th anniversary. In 2025, Herzing has 11 campuses across 8 states and online programs. We have a variety of academic programs to meet your needs wherever you are in life, including undergraduate, graduate, and online programs. We are proud to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), our first doctoral-level degree.

Herzing has built a supportive community of faculty, staff and fellow learners, but Herzing wasn’t always the bastion of education it is today. From its humble beginnings as a technology institute to its current status as a University, Herzing’s mission to serve students has remained the same.

Founding in 1965

After serving in the Navy, Henry “Hank” Herzing worked at Litton Industries on the A-6A, which was called the “computer plane,” for the Navy.

Newly married, to his wife Suzanne, and looking to do something different, Herzing saw an ad in a New York newspaper for a director to start schools in computer programming for the Electronic Computer Programming Institute (ECPI).

Their first months were not auspicious, says Henry. “We traveled to Milwaukee in January 1965, in the middle of a snowstorm. I came down with strep throat, and Suzanne, a few months pregnant, had to look for a doctor. Once we settled in, however, I worked on student recruiting and hiring instructors. Suzanne performed all the administrative functions, from running the front office to accounting and bookkeeping. We did everything! We learned as we went along.”

When ECPI opened its doors in Milwaukee in April 1965, there were only 12 students, but that didn’t stop the Herzing’s from pouring their energy into creating a learning environment that would prepare students for the rapidly evolving world of technology.

“We grew steadily, but we struggled. By 1967, it was a bit better, and by the beginning of 1968, we were flourishing. That is when ECPI called us about failing schools in Toronto, Montreal, and Birmingham. We took them over, as our initial expansion beyond the original campus.”

Starting Their Own School

By 1969, Henry realized that there were some discrepancies in the computer programming curricula. Herzing hired an instructor to update and write curriculum materials, but ECPI did not want any variation in their curriculum. It was not intentional, but Herzing had outgrown their “parent”.  

This was a huge milestone. The couple was now free to incorporate their educational holdings under the rubric of the Herzing Institute, which they did in 1970. Herzing began to expand their scope of education outside of technology to other career fields.

Within a year they purchased The Wisconsin School of Electronics, in Madison.  Later, they acquired Massey Business College in Atlanta. Herzing continued to make other acquisitions with some other schools. Herzing had begun to grow.

Into the 21st Century

In 1996, Herzing Institute changed to Herzing College, but that wasn’t the only change. Henry and Suzanne’s daughter Renée joined Herzing in 1999 and served in several student-focused positions including Registrar, Director of Admissions and President of the Online Campus.

Renée launched the system’s online offerings in 2000 and established the Online Campus in 2003, which now has more than 4,000 students.  As Executive Vice President from 2004 to 2009, she oversaw Herzing’s online, strategic planning, IT, and growth initiatives and helped lead enrollment increases in healthcare and graduate programs.

In 2009, Renée was named President of Herzing. It was in 2009 that Herzing College added master’s degree programs, which allowed Herzing to change its name once again to Herzing University.

As the landscape of education continues to change, Herzing prioritizes accessibility and flexibility for students of all backgrounds, a commitment recognized by U.S. News 2024 Best Online Programs rankings for Herzing’s online Bachelor’s programs, online MBA program, and online Grad Nursing program, which provide accessible, high-quality education to students nationwide and globally as well as to those who are active or previously served in the military.

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary

“Reflecting on and celebrating this remarkable milestone, we’re filled with gratitude, inspiration and pride – grateful for the students who have allowed us to help them on their career journeys and the communities that have welcomed our campuses, inspired by our students and alumni success stories, and proud of what we’ve built over the past 60 years,” said President Renée Herzing.

“My parents’ vision of providing career-focused education has manifested into a mission of taking people from where they are to where they want to be. We’ve fundamentally changed thousands of students’ visions of themselves by giving them the skills to build their confidence. There’s truly no more significant milestone or accomplishment than that, and we can’t wait to continue doing just that for decades to come.”