About Gwinnett College - Sandy Springs
Formerly the Rising Spirit Institute of Natural Health
Rising Spirit was founded in 1994 by Drs. Bruce and Martha Costello, and was originally known as the New Life Institute School of Massage Excellence. Drs. Costello felt that there was a growing demand for a quality Massage Therapy school in Atlanta that offered more than the traditional massage program. In January 2001, the name was changed to reflect the expanding vision the founders had for the school.
In the beginning, the school had just one campus located near Atlanta, Georgia. Our main campus is still located here, but as we have expanded our scope and operations, we have also experienced rapid growth and have had to expand our facilities as well. Our Main Campus now houses approximately 11,000 square feet and is located at Roswell Road and Abernathy Road. In 1998, a Satellite Campus was founded in Marietta, Georgia, to meet the growing demand on the westside of Atlanta. This Satellite location is located near Delk Road and I-75.
The original curriculum of the school was a 500-hour program, and was expanded into a 630-hour program in the fall of 1997. In 2001, our curriculum was expanded yet again to what it is currently; 750 hours.
In June 2006, Rising Spirit went through another transformation with the acquisition of Rising Spirit by Gwinnett College, and Michael Davis was named President. We are excited by the expansion of our student body as well as the different options available to our students as well as those of Gwinnett College. We see this as a giant leap forward for Metro-Atlantans, as it creates many new educational and career opportunities.
In March 2007, Rising Spirit was approved by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (now Accrediting Commissions of Career Schools and Colleges) to offer two new, exciting courses in the medical field. We are pleased with the approval of both Medical Assisting and Medical Office Administration which gives us the opportunity to become a leader in the Atlanta and Marietta areas.
We at Rising Spirit are always looking for ways to be able to better serve our students and our society. For our students, this means that they will have the opportunity to work in entry-level positions of the medical or chiropractic environments with all three programs, and will be able to find entry-level work in Spas/Resorts, et cetera, by completing the Massage program and various physicians' offices from the Medical Assisting and Medical Office Administration programs. Our society is coming out ahead as well because there are more educated, skilled workers in the businesses they may frequent. It is a win-win for everyone involved.