Grand View College is now Grand View University and along with the name change came an announcement that it will offer graduate education.

President Kent Henning said in a news release this morning that the school’s first graduate program, which will enroll its initial cohort of students in the fall of 2009, is the Master of Science in Innovative Leadership. The interdisciplinary degree, which focuses on leading for change and innovative strategic thinking, is composed of a common core of courses and three tracks: business, education and nursing.

Graduates from the business track will be designated organizational leaders; those from the education track, teacher leaders; and those from the nursing track, clinical nurse leaders.

The degree was developed in collaboration with more than 30 Greater Des Moines businesses, not-for-profit organizations, school systems and health-care providers as well as professional associations.

The teacher leader designation is currently under consideration as an endorsement by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. The clinical nurse leader is sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The master’s degree is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Partly in support of the launch of graduate education, Grand View’s Board of Trustees voted at its Oct. 10 meeting to change the name of the institution to Grand View University, effective with final accreditation for the graduate program, which was granted Oct. 29.

Board Chair Robert DeWaay said, “After examining the results of more than a year of careful research on the part of the administration and discussing the strategic implications, the board determined that this change will have a very positive effect on many of our key strategic initiatives, especially the launch of graduate education. The board also took into strong consideration the impact of the name change on the lingering perception that Grand View is still a two-year institution or a community college.”

Grand View has adopted a new logo and Web address, www.grandview.edu, where more information is available about the master’s degree.