For 100 years, Stautzenberger College has been in the business of second chances.
“We’ve been around for 100 years. We’ve graduated over 10,000 students in that 100-year span, and we’re very proud that we are the fourth-oldest for-profit career college in the state of Ohio,” said Todd Wildey, president.
“It’s very rare that any business makes it to 100 years. We’re proud we did it in the industry that we are,” he said.
Wildey also spoke with pride about the school’s determination to support students and help them succeed, no matter the challenges in their way.
One of those students was Joseph Martinez. Now a graduate of Stautzenberger’s accelerated addiction counseling program, the college’s impact is deeply personal.
“I kind of made some not-so-great decisions, which found myself in active substance use for 16 years,” he said.
He entered treatment in Fremont in 2021 and later began volunteering and then working in the recovery center. The experience led him to consider becoming a social worker — and to Stautzenberger.
“I was 37 at the time. I thought I was too old to go back to school. Finally, I picked up the phone on a Wednesday. I talked to the enrollment adviser and, honestly, because of her personal approach and how compassionate and personal she was, I was like, ‘All right, go ahead and sign me up,’” he said. “On Friday, we did the paperwork, and Monday I started classes.”
Now 40, Martinez has earned an associate of applied science in addiction counseling and social advocacy, obtained his chemical dependency counselor assistant certificate, and works as a counselor at an outpatient treatment facility while currently in a bachelor’s program at Walden University.
The college takes particular pride in stories like Martinez’s in which working-class Ohioans gain support as they work toward more stable career paths.
100 years, 10,000 graduates
Founded in 1926 by Ohio educator William Henry Stautzenberger as a small vocational school in Toledo, the institution has grown into a three-campus career college that has graduated well over 10,000 students — 7,276 from its Maumee campus alone since 1996.
The college will formally announce its 100th anniversary Friday at a graduation ceremony for more than 200 students at the Franciscan Center of Lourdes University in Sylvania.
“This 100-year anniversary is huge for us,” said Stephen Tave, CEO and president of the American Higher Education Development Corporation and the college’s owner and operator. He has been in the vocational training industry for four decades.
“We’re not just a school — because over the 100-year journey, it’s been a college that goes beyond the educational process; it transcends into the lives of our students on all levels,” he said. “We’re there for them in the good times and the bad times. We don’t step away from them ever, and that’s pretty unique.”
The milestone comes at a moment when vocational education nationwide is gaining fresh attention as an alternative to universities because of its faster, often more affordable pathway to in-demand careers, Tave noted.
“The industry in general has been overlooked and misunderstood. There’s more than 8,000 vocational colleges nationwide, which really are essential to our economy,” he said.
Stautzenberger historically operated as a business training institution but over the century has worked to adapt a curriculum that meets the ever-evolving demands of Ohio’s fast-changing job market.
Changing with work force needs
“In 1926, we were more into the business aspect side of things, a business college where we trained secretaries and bookkeepers and things such as stenography and clerical procedures,” Wildey said. “Since then, in response to work force demands, we have been forced to continually grow and adapt.”
Today, Stautzenberger offers certificate and associate degree programs in health care, business, animal science, legal studies, and skilled trades. Its popular accelerated and online options include veterinary technology, surgical technology, medical office management, HVAC, paralegal studies, and business administration.
The college’s value shows up not just in degrees but in the confidence of local employers. At Neighborhood Health Association, a community-based provider that has hired more than a dozen Stautzenberger graduates from five programs since 2009, dental practice manager Christian DeLong says the difference starts with preparation.
“Their student body always comes out very well educated from the academic world and always [has] a very positive attitude and an eagerness to start learning that real-world application,” DeLong said.
Trang Nguyen, chief dental officer, echoed his sentiments that Stautzenberger graduates bring more than technical skill. “What’s really important is [being] knowledgeable but also a level of
professionalism. In health care, it’s more than just your clinical skills but how we care for patients with compassion and dignity,” Nguyen said. “I find that they always take that extra step and that extra mile to be extra caring and engaging with their patients.”
What’s next for the school?
As Stautzenberger looks ahead to its next century, it is striving to stay ahead of the curve in both technology and the trades, even embracing artificial intelligence in a careful manner.
“We are continuously undergoing curriculum review to stay relevant,” Wildey said, noting that industry program advisory committees help adjust courses to what employers need now.
Its commitment to helping working adults reinvent their lives may be the most enduring measure of its success, a mission it pursues by personalizing student engagement.
“What I want people to know is that this is a really important tradition to carry forward — the relentless passion of ensuring that our students get the best possible learning environment. That’s what’s kept us around for 100 years,” Tave said.
First Published February 13, 2026, 3:00 p.m on The Blade.
