Northwood University is a private university with multiple locations. The school has four residential campuses: Midland, Michigan (opened in 1961), Cedar Hill, Texas (opened in 1966), West Palm Beach, Florida (opened in 1984) and a joint program with Hotel Institute Montreux in Montreux, Switzerland, began in 2001. More than 33,000 students have graduated from the institution, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.The Florida residential campus was added and the academic curricula was expanded. The school was accreditied by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1993, the name was changed from Northwood Institute to Northwood University and The Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management was created. A joint program with the Hotel Institute Montreux was established in 2001 to combine the renowned Swiss hospitality traditions with successful American management practices. The school, located in Montreux, Switzerland was Northwood University's first international venture. University College program centers were expanded for a total of 40 locations in eight states and program centers were begun in Bahrain, Malaysia, People's Republic of China, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland.