Brown College (Minnesota) - History

History

The school was originally established in 1946 as the American Institute of the Air by Richard and Helen Brown. The college originally occupied a seven-building campus on East Lake Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The initial campus was made up of old business buildings that were remodeled and refurbished. In 1954, the school changed its name to Brown Institute and then in 2001, it became Brown College. Richard and Helen retired in 1978 but were active participants in Brown events until their deaths in 1994. In July 1986, due to enrollment increases and the lack of space that resulted, the school moved to a brand new facility on Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. In 1997, it relocated again to a Mendota Heights, again due to space needs. Brown College further expanded in October 2001 when it opened its Brooklyn Center, a second campus in a suburb of the northwestern Twin Cities.

In April 2003, Career Education Corporation canceled the Electronics Technology program at Brown College. Electronics was one of the first programs established after the Broadcasting program, and was one of the programs that built Brown's reputation nation-wide.

Career Education Corporation formed a partnership with Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, in January 1999. Brown was the first college in North America to include a Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Program. February 2005, Le Cordon Bleu began operating as a separate entity.