For-profit university plans to open Schaumburg campus

Schaumburg is one step closer to welcoming another private university after village trustees last week approved a zoning permit allowing Strayer University to set up shop in town.

Strayer, a four-year for-profit school, plans to create a campus in an existing building at 1101 Perimeter Drive.

Strayer representatives appeared before the village’s zoning board earlier this month seeking a permit that would allow the facility’s parking lot to remain open in the later evening hours to accommodate night classes.

The university plans to offer a variety of classes online, but also wants to use the facility on Perimeter Drive for offices and in-house classes. The school would offer programs in accounting, business administration and information systems management, a Strayer representative told the zoning board.

Strayer is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has more than 80 campuses in 17 states, mostly on the East Coast. The Schaumburg campus would be its first in Illinois. The closest campus is in Milwaukee.

The university was founded in 1892 in Maryland and is owned by Strayer Education Inc., headquartered in Arlington, Va.

According to its website, Strayer offers masters degrees in programs like education, business administration and public administration, as well as bachelors and associates degrees in the sciences and arts. The programs are geared toward adults hoping to continue their education. The average age of a Strayer student is 34, according to the university.

Strayer would become the fourth university of its kind in Schaumburg, joining the University of Phoenix, Career Education Corp. and Argosy University.