Aakers Business College

Hans H. Aaker (1862-1929), founder of the Aaker's Business College, was President of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, from 1893-1902. As a faculty member of Concordia, Aaker had emphasized "practical" courses such as accounting and business. Mrs. Aaker was the Dean of Women at Concordia College.

Aaker was elected mayor of Moorhead in 1900 on the prohibition ticket. Aaker's administration made the first serious attempt to clean up "The Wickedest City in the World." Shortly after his election, the mayor narrowly escaped death from an assassin's bullet. From then on he used police protection in the evenings and after council meetings.

Aaker was a Populist candidate for Congress and member of the Non-Partisan League. When the Concordia College board of directors let Aaker know that his political interest took too much time and energy, he resigned.

Aakers Business College opened on October 27, 1902 by Mr. and Mrs. Hans H. Aaker. For the first month the school operated out of a vacant store at 304-306 Broadway. In less than three months the school had one hundred students, and it became evident that more room was necessary, so on June 6, 1903, the school moved to the Walker Block at 621 1st Avenue N. This building quickly proved too small and Mr. Aaker decided to put up his own building. Work began in August, 1904, and was ready for occupancy on January 1, 1905. The new brick building provided the growing school with 9,500 square feet for floor space.

Aakers Business College was located at the southwest corner of Roberts Street and 2nd Avenue North. In 1907, a second college was opened in Grand Forks. In about 1918, the College closed its Fargo school and focused on its Grand Forks college.

In 1931, Mr. R.C. Hadlich purchased the college after Mr. Aaker's death in 1929. Mr. Hadlich served as President and Administrator of the college until 1992, when his sons Mark and Robin assumed leadership.

The college was purchased from the Hadlich family in 1995 by the Interstate Business College of Fargo. The Interstate Business College closed due to a fraud scandle, and the college was purchased by Robert W. Nemitz and Kristi A. Waite, the principle owners of Rasmussen College in Minnesota.

On November 9, 1998, the school in Grand Forks was closed and Aakers College returned to Fargo located in a new building at 4012 19th Ave. S.W. (near West Acres Shopping Center). In 2007 Aakers merged with Rasmussen College.

Sources:

Thirteenth Annual Catalogue of Aaker’s Business College, Fargo, N. Dakota, 1915-1916
“School’s out: family selling Aaker’s Business College after 64 years” Grand Forks Herald (24 May 1995): 1-A
“Aakers means business” The Forum (2 Aug. 2003): E-1