Aurora University is a private, independent university with its main campus in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois. The Advent Christian Church founded the school in 1893 in Mendota, Illinois, as a seminary for ministers and lay workers. The school, originally called Mendota Seminary, soon changed its name to Mendota College and began to offer a full liberal arts curriculum. In 1912, the college moved to Aurora and changed its name to Aurora College.
Aurora College cut its ties to the Advent Christian Church in 1971. In 1985, the college became Aurora University. In 1986, it absorbed many of the programs and most of the faculty of George Williams College, a school in nearby Downers Grove that had closed because of financial difficulties. The two institutions merged in 1992. Aurora University’s athletic teams are called the Spartans.
The university’s website at https://aurora.edu/ offers additional information.
