Neumont University was founded in 2003 by Graham Doxey, Scott McKinley, and Marlow Einelund. It is headquartered in South Jordan, Utah

South Jordan, Utah

South Jordan is a city in the U.S. state of Utah. The city lies in the Salt Lake Valley between the peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains and the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains and is part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area...

. Neumont's South Jordan campus is located in what has been labeled Utah's Silicon Slopes s between other technology-oriented companies like Ibahn, eBay, Oracle, and Adobe.

Neumont offers an applied four-year Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 in Computer Science

Computer science

Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...

 degree and programs in Bachelor of Science in Technology Management, BS Software and Game Development, and a BS Web Design and Development. Most students complete these undergraduate programs in two and one-half years and a Master of Computer Science (MCS) degree in one- and two-year formats. Neumont's Game Development program can be completed in three years and is a hybrid program focusing on principles of software development for the gaming industry.

History

Neumont University was founded in June 2002 as North Face Learning by Graham Doxey, Marlow Einelund, and Scott McKinley. North Face Learning was approved by the Department of Education in a letter dated March 19, 2003, to take operating control of Morrison University in Reno, NV and became Northface University. In a letter dated May 22, 2003, Northface University was approved by the ACICS to open a new branch in Utah and to offer a new program in Computer Science. IBM

IBM

International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

, Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

, and Unisys

Unisys

Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...

 collaborated with the school in the earliest stages to create a project-based curriculum. Since October 2005, many other local and national companies such as EDS

Electronic Data Systems

HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,...

, ACS

Affiliated Computer Services

Affiliated Computer Services Inc. provides information technology services as well as business process outsourcing solutions to businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. ACS is based in Dallas, Texas and the current CEO is Lynn Blodgett. ACS is ranked at number 341 on the 2010...

, Novell

Novell

Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...

, CA, eBay

EBay

eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...

, ExtendHealth, Medicity, Nike and Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...

 have joined with IBM and Microsoft in sponsoring Enterprise Projects that facilitate learning in a real-world project focused environment. Neumont University students were also heavily involved in the PhPGedView Developmental Project over a number of years, under direction of Neumont senior faculty John Finlay; and the Neumont Object Role Modeling project under instructors Terry Halpin and Tony Morgan.

The first campus was opened to students in Salt Lake City in January 2004. Later that year, Neumont University relocated to a 48000 square feet (4,459.3 m²) campus (located across two floors of an office building) which features glass, steel, and granite, nestled against the west bank of the Jordan River

Jordan River (Utah)

The Jordan River in the U.S. state of Utah is a river about long. Regulated by pumps at its headwaters at Utah Lake, it flows northward through the Salt Lake Valley and empties into the Great Salt Lake. Four of Utah's five largest cities—Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and...

. The campus features high-tech lecture halls, project rooms, a digital design lab, library, student commons, and a wireless internet network across the entire campus.

The ACICS approved a name change on July 22, 2005 by letter. Northface University changed its name to Neumont University after concerns of confusion with North Face, the clothing manufacturer.

Neumont's first graduates completed Neumont's undergraduate computer science program in March 2006. Since then, more than 380 people have completed degrees from Neumont and gone on to begin careers in software and web development, business analysis, project management, and IT consulting. Based on verified offers extended to graduates, Neumont is able to claim its graduates earn an average starting salary up to 15% higher than the national average, accepting job offers averaging $60,000 and enjoying 93% placement within six months of graduation. This success in student placement has garnered national attention for Neumont from Forbes Magazine, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox Business News, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

From July through September 2007, Neumont briefly expanded to Virginia for one academic quarter. The campus encountered zoning problems; as a result, the students were relocated to the South Jordan campus, and the Northern Virginia campus was closed.

In September 2007, after five years of service to Neumont University, an announcement was made that president Graham Doxey would be resigning to be replaced by Edward H. Levine. Under President Levine's management the school launched a degree in Business Technology Operations Management and expanded its curriculum to encompass courses in electronic media and entertainment, including courses in game design and development.

In 2009, Neumont received approval to begin offering undergraduate degrees in Software and Game Development, and Web Design and Development.

Academics

Due to the rigorous nature of the program, students can graduate from Neumont in as little as two and a half years, with a full Bachelor's degree by attending classes five days per week, up to nine hours per day. Neumont's Bachelor of Science in Software and Game Development is a rigorous hybrid program which takes three years to complete.

Due to the rigorous curriculum and quick time to market for Neumont graduates, the school claims to be one of the best values in computer science education and was recognized in May 2010 by The Chronicle of Higher Education for "setting the standard in US Higher Education".

Neumont also claims to have an exceptionally high return on investment for graduates, based on the compressed 2.5 year format, and the availability of need and merit-based scholarships.

Neumont courses are taught in a block format which divides the program into 10, ten-week quarters. Each quarter is divided into two 25-day blocks. Students take courses in three and four hour segments, with general education courses taught daily in one and two hour increments. Neumont University's block schedule was devised based on a theory that more time in classes, with greater focus on fewer subjects at a time would allow for greater depth in program delivery.

Campus features

• A Digital Design lab for students featuring studio quality lighting, sound, recording, and editing equipment for the creation of video, web, and game design projects.
• Halpin Innovation Lab which features manipulatable work spaces and flatscreen televisions where students can code in groups of four to six during the mid-point of their program (developmental project labs).
• Enterprise Project rooms are designated real estate that Neumont project teams are given for one quarter to use as the home base for their project work. Many students work on their Enterprise Projects on-site at the client.
• A campus library which features hundreds of technical references manuals, technical magazines, and copies of in class materials.
• Student commons with foosball, ping pong, pool, arcade games, and on-campus dining.
• A Gaming Chamber complete with 60" TV's, a collection of legacy and newly released gaming consoles, and an encyclopedic collection of video games from Atari to Kinect.
• Student Housing where students are roomed up to four per apartment within one mile of the Neumont campus

Accreditation

The university is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools is a non-profit education corporation recognized by both the United States Secretary of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body that accredits institutions of...

.

Faculty

• Terry Halpin
  Terry Halpin
  Terence Aidan Halpin is an Australian computer scientist who is known for his formalization of the object role modeling notation.- Biography :...
  
  , leader of the NORMA project
  Object role modeling
  Object Role Modeling is a method for conceptual modeling, and can be used as a tool for information and rules analysis, ontological analysis, and data modeling in the field of software engineering.- Overview :...
  
  , was also a member of the faculty until early 2009. After his departure, a lab room on campus was named after him, and his whiteboard was memorialized.
• Among Neumont's faculty has been Bennion Spencer
  Bennion Spencer
  Bennion Lloyd Spencer is a journalist and professor, and was the 2008 Democratic candidate for Utah's 3rd congressional district running against Republican Jason Chaffetz.-Biographical background:...
  
  , who ran in 2008 as a Democrat
  Democratic Party (United States)
  The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
  
   for Utah's 3rd congressional district
  Utah's 3rd congressional district
  Utah's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. It currently covers nearly all of Utah County and the west side of Salt Lake County, in central and west central Utah....
  
   in the United States House of Representatives
  United States House of Representatives
  The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
  
  .
• Steve Halladay, an industry-respected software development professional and entrepreneur with dozens of patents and publications to his credit.
• John Kilbourn, director of Neumont's Digital design program, with 20 years of industry experience in video games as an art director and production artist.
• John Finlay, founder of the PhpGedView
  PhpGedView
  PhpGedView is a free PHP-based web application for working with genealogy data on the Internet. The project was founded and is headed by John Finlay. It is licensed under GPL....
  
  project.
• Dr. Steve Allison, PhD, faculty development coordinator
• Jamie King, specializing in .NET, Databases, and C#
• Aaron Pace, co-author Spilling: Expanding Hand held Interaction to Touch Table Displays, TABLETOP, pp. 163–170, 2007
• Sharon DeReamer, teaching courses in Object-Oriented Programming, Software Engineering Methodologies, and Project Management. Author: ACM Sigsoft Software Engineering Notes.
• Shawn Loutensock, Career Services Program Manager
• Aaron Reed, vice president of University Relations and author of Learning XNA 3.0 and Learning XNA 4.0" O'Reilly Media.
• Jake Walkenhorst, instructor in Java Development, .Net, Object-Oriented Programming, and Algorithms and Data Structures
• Natalie Watts, teaching introductory level courses in computer science and databases
• Tyler Young teaching .NET Projects, XNA, and Windows Development courses
• Matt Maxwell, Artist in Residence, Industry Advisory Board member for the BSWD program. Maxwell brings experience working with], Richter7, and the LDS Church.
• Sam Puich, Provost responsible for curriculum oversight and development. Publications Include: CSTA: CS Employees wanted, 2009, College Connection 2008. Jordan Press: Data Mining as an Element of Adaptive Learning, ADO.Net with C# (2002), Object Oriented Programming Using C#: Transitioning from Java (2001), The Technology Teacher: Classroom Management: Principles and Practice (2001), Achieving Technological Literacy: A National Imperative (2001), Assessment: Principles and Practice (2001),

Neumont University Adjunct Faculty Include:

• Brian Acord, M.B.A., University of Virginia
• Denise Allen, M.A. Musicology, George Washington University
• Penny Allison, M.S., Western Governor’s University
• Kristen Allen, B.A. English, Westminster College
• Scott Anderson,Ph.D., Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin
• Michael Blakesley, M.A. English, Utah State University
• Clief Castleton, M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
• Tim Cranny,Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Queensland
• Alicia Cunningham, J.D. George Mason School of Law
• Lori Draper, Neumont's Learning Center Director, M.A. Information Resources and Library Science,University of Arizona
• Tyler Garlick, B.S. Computer Science, Neumont University
• Raeann Hansen,B.S. Education, Iowa State University
• Jeff Hodlmair, B.S. Finance, Westminster College
• Dr. Jennifer Hill, Ph.D. Communications, University of Utah
• Jeremy Israelsen,B.S. Computer Science, Neumont University
• Dr. Renate Kesler, Ph.D. Music, University of Utah
• John Kilbourn, B.A. Fine Arts, University of Utah
• Dr. Kimberly Lawson, Ph.D. English, University of Iowa
• Rob Lange, M.B.A. Business, Brigham Young University
• Danny Martinez, M.P.A. Public Administration, University of Utah
• Rock Oakeson, M.A., Music, University of North Texas
• Paul Parkin, M.S. Communications, California State University
• Joshua Peterson, M.S. Speech Communication, Minnesota State University
• Gerald Pay, B.S. Microbiology, Brigham Young University
• Miriam Robertson, M.A. Teaching, Grand Canyon University
• Michelle Swift, J.D. Thomas Jefferson School of Law
• Cameron Tovey, B.S. MIS, Brigham Young University
• Aaron Walker, B.S. Computer Science, Utah Valley University
• Casey Williams, M.F.A Theatre, University of Utah

Neumont University Administration

• Edward H. Levine, Neumont University President, CEO
• Thomas Bickart, Chief Financial Officer
• Aaron Reed, Vice President Academic Operations
• Samuel Puich, Provost
• Isabella Porter, Vice President, Marketing
• Erin McCormack, Dean of Students
• Dave Conger, Director of Technology Services
• Stacy Hughes, Director of Public Relations
• Karick Heaton, Director of Admissions
• L. Jeme Deviny, Director of Finance
• Larry Crandall, Registrar
• Shawn Loutensock, Career Services Program Manager

Clubs

Neumont's student life tends to revolve around technology but also offers traditional student clubs and activities including:

• Unified Student Government
• Book Club
• LDSSA
• Bible Club
• Soccer Club
• Neumont Tactical Federation
• Student Clubs and actitivities are posted online through Neumont's Facebook page, blog, and website

Orders

Neumont offers student orders, which are similar to fraternities or sororities in that they organize around a central theme of community, civic responsibility, and social leisure. Unlike traditional fraternities or sororities, Neumont's student orders are Co-ed.

BTS - Beyond The Screen
TGG - The Game Gurus
GSO - Game Shark Order
GC - The Gentle Men's Club
RO - The Rootbeer Order
PR - Prime

Events

• Pi Day
• Pre-Finals Breakfast
• Coding Competition
• Campus Open Houses
• Commencement
• Project Showcase
• League of Legends Tournaments

Neumont also offers a host of nerd-centric events like:
LAN Parties, Nerfkriegs, Nerdigras, and Nerdapalooza

External links

• Official site of Neumont University
• Official site of Neumont University Web Forums
• Interview with Julie Blake of Neumont University (via techrockies.com)
• Neumont University featured in Forbes Magazine
• Neumont Project experience student video (promotional but descriptive)
• Neumont campus blog - lists current happenings and job opportunities at the school
• Neumont PhpGedView Project
• Neumont Object Role Modeling Project