Historic business college (1848–2013) that evolved from a mercantile school into a for-profit university.
Chancellor University traces its origins to 1848 when R.S. Bacon opened a business college on West 3rd Street in Cleveland. After merging with Folsom's Mercantile College, it operated under various names including Bryant & Stratton, Union Business School, and Spencerian Business College (named after penmanship pioneer Platt R. Spencer). In 1896, Frank L. Dyke founded a separate school for women; the two merged in 1942. The institution became Dyke College (1958–1994), then David N. Myers College (1995), Myers University (2001), and finally Chancellor University (2008) as a for-profit online-focused institution. The university closed in 2013 after 165 years of operation.
Chancellor University offered degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, and master's levels, with a primary focus on business programs. The institution was not exclusively a business school but offered a wide array of business-related curricula. A notable program was the Jack Welch Management Institute MBA, established in 2009 after Jack Welch invested $2 million for a 12% stake in the university's parent company; this program was acquired by Strayer University in 2011 for approximately $7 million.
Chancellor University was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (North Central Association) and the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). The institution faced accreditation challenges, including probation in 2008 and multiple 'show cause' orders between 2010 and 2012, though accreditation was ultimately maintained. On July 8, 2013, the university announced closure effective August 25, 2013, transferring its several hundred students to Alliant International University in California.