The Peoria City Council announced that Huntington University will open its doors in Peoria. Huntington University is a Christian liberal arts college offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations,
This month, Huntington University finalized an eight-year lease for its building in the P83 district. The new campus will be located at 8385 W. Mariners Way, in the former Dolce Salon and Spa building, and will offer digital arts programs, such as film production, graphic design, media production, web development and digital animation to Peoria-based students. The university is expected to begin classes for the 2016-2017 school year.
“A strong education system is key to our ability to attract quality jobs to our city,” said Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat. “Educational institutions themselves can bring jobs and synergy to an economic development plan and Huntington University is an outstanding addition to our growing assembly in the technology space.”
“We are very happy to have Huntington University part of our community,” said City Manager Carl Swenson. “Peoria is always improving our economic positioning for workforce development and Huntington University, along with Trine University, play an enormous role in the attraction of targeted industries as a key objective in diversifying the city’s economic base and work force.”
“We already know Peoria is a great place for young families to live, and Huntington offers cutting-edge programs that are very attractive to the tech-savvy, millennial generation. We will continue to grow and foster our workforce development and business community environment with an eye on the future,” added Carlat.
Huntington is consistently ranked among the top U.S. schools by U.S. News and World Report, Forbes and Princeton Review. The University also boasts a 97 percent employment rate within six months of graduation, and it ranks as being one of the best college experiences in the country according to national student satisfaction surveys.