NEWS

Rising Spirit has been approved by the State approving body, NPEC, and our national accreditation, ACCSC, to go through one of the largest changes in our school's history by changing our name from the Rising Spirit Institute of Natural Health to Gwinnett College - Sandy Springs. In the best interest of our students, we have decided to keep the name Rising Spirit School of Massage for our Massage Therapy students.

You may also notice that our name contains the words Sandy Springs. This is because we are moving from the city of Dunwoody in Dekalb County to the newly recognized city of Sandy Springs in Fulton County. Our new campus is going to be at the intersection of Roswell Road and Abernathy Road at the following address;

Gwinnett College - Sandy Springs
6690 Roswell Road NE, Suite 2200
Atlanta, GA 30328

This change comes at a crucial time in the professional Massage world as well as for our future goals of the College. We are committed to provide high-quality education that is recognized in the industry of proprietary education as well as in the fields in which our graduates work. This transformation is coming at a time when more credibility is given to citizens that attend College at some point in their lives, and we at Gwinnett College want our graduates to be successful in their fields. This change will only help our graduates in the short and long-terms to do just that.

History of Rising Spirit Institute

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 west side 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. 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.


Mission Statement and Objectives