| Keiser University | |
| Image Alt: | Seal of Keiser University |
| Motto: | Integritas, Veritas, Sapientia[1] |
| Mottoeng: | Purity, Truth, Wisdom |
| Established: | 1977[2] |
| Type: | Private university[3] |
| Chancellor: | Arthur Keiser[4] |
| Students: | 19,510[5] |
| Undergrad: | 17,892 |
| Postgrad: | 1,618 |
| City: | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Country: | United States |
| Former Names: | The Keiser School (1977–1982) Keiser Institute of Technology (1982–1986) Keiser College (1986–2006) |
| Colors: | Navy Blue & Sky Blue |
| Sports Nickname: | Seahawks |
| Athletics Affiliations: | NAIA – The Sun |
Keiser University is a private university with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida[6] and flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, Florida.[7] Additional campuses are located in other parts of Florida and internationally.[8] Keiser provides educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate levels in both traditional and online delivery formats. The school is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
In 1977, Arthur Keiser and his mother, Evelyn, created a career college called the Keiser School in Fort Lauderdale to prepare students for jobs in Florida's growing business and healthcare communities.[9] In 1982, with the addition of paralegal and computer programs, the school changed its name to the Keiser Institute of Technology. In 1986, the school began to award associate degrees and became Keiser College. In 2001, Keiser created its first bachelor's degree programs. Five years later, in 2006, the school made its final name change and became Keiser University.[10]
In 2010, the Florida Attorney General began to investigate Keiser University and several other for-profit schools based in the state, but by 2012 the investigation was closed and Keiser entered into an "assurance of voluntary compliance".[11] In 2011, the university switched from a for-profit to a not-for-profit model, when Arthur Keiser sold the institution for an undisclosed sum to Everglades College Inc., a non-profit entity founded by Keiser that also operates Everglades University.[3] [12]
In 2015, Keiser University added a 100-acre flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, on the site of what was formerly Northwood University's Florida campus. The goal of this expansion was to help in providing students with a residential, traditional, educational experience in West Palm Beach, Florida.[13] In 2016, the university launched the new college of Chiropractic Medicine, with Dr. Michael Wiles serving as the Dean. This is the first program of its kind started in South Florida.[14] [15]
In 2017, CEO and President Arthur Keiser became chair of the U.S. Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI).[16] Keiser was first appointed by then Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and reappointed twice by Republicans.[17]
Keiser University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award certificates and degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels. Keiser University is licensed by the Commission for Independent Education in Florida.[18]
See main article: Keiser Seahawks.
The Keiser athletic teams are called the Seahawks. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA),[24] primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 2015–16 academic year.[25] Prior to July 2015, the Seahawks represented Northwood University's West Palm Beach campus.[26]
Keiser competes in 26 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include eSports and spirit squad. Club sports include equestrian and fishing.
Basketball
Basketball was started in the 2006–2007 season, after the hiring of Rollie Massimino in 2005, as Director of Basketball Operations for both men's and women's basketball.[27] Per ESPN, on December 14, 2016, Massimino, Keiser University's men's basketball coach, became the third active coach to achieve 800 career wins and the ninth coach overall. Massimino was 82 years old at the time.[28]
Golf
The Seahawks Women's golf team have won four NAIA Women's Golf National Championships (2003, 2015, 2016, 2021). In 2022, the Seahawks Men's golf team won their first NAIA Men's Golf National Championship, while also having their first individual golf national champion.[29]
Swimming
The Keiser Men's Swim team won the NAIA Men's Swimming National Championship three consecutive years in 2018, 2019, and 2020.[30] With the 2021 championships canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they would follow up by winning their fourth straight national title in 2022.[31] In 2022, the Keiser Women's Swim team won their first NAIA Women's Swimming National Championship.[32]
Football
In 2016, Keiser announced its plan to add football to its slate of varsity athletic programs, with the team beginning play in the 2018 season.[33] In 2021, the Seahawks football team advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals for the second straight year.[34] In 2023, the Seahawks football team won its first NAIA Football National Championship, defeating Northwestern College 31–21.[35]
Wrestling
The 2019–20 season marked the inaugural year of the Keiser men's wrestling team. Keiser, along with Southeastern University and St. Thomas University, are the only current institutions that sponsor scholarship wrestling programs in Florida.[36] [37]
Soccer
Both the Seahawks Men's and Women's soccer teams have won national championships. The Women's soccer team won back-to-back national championships in 2019 and 2020. The Men's soccer team collected its first national championship in 2021.[38]