Skip to main content
  • Call Now
  • Request Info
  • Menu

Search form

  • JWU Main Site
  • jwuLink
  • Apply Now
  • Hide nav
  • Request Info
  • 1.855.598.1881

JWU

  • Academics
    Academics
    Academics Home Academic Calendar Online Catalog and Student Handbook On-Campus Programs
    • Business
      • BS – Accounting
      • BS – Advertising & Marketing Communications
      • Doctor of Business Administration
      • BS – Business Studies
      • BS – Digital Marketing & Social Media
      • BS – Fashion Merchandising & Retailing
      • BS – Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship
      • BS - Marketing
      • BSBA – Business Administration
      • BSBA – Entrepreneurship
      • BSBA – Human Resource Management
      • BSBA – International Business
      • BSBA – Management
      • BSBA – Operations & Supply Chain Management
      • BSBA – Enterprise Risk Management
      • MS – Global Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development
      • MS - Finance
      • AS – Business Administration
      • Accounting
      • BS – Finance
      • Business Communication
      • Communication for Change
      • Foundational Operations & Supply Chain Management
      • MS – Operations & Project Management
      • Operations & Supply Chain Management
      • Technical Writing & Editing
    • MBA
      • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
      • MBA – Finance
      • MBA – Hospitality
      • MBA – Human Resource Management
      • MBA – Information Security/Assurance
      • MBA – Organizational Psychology
      • MBA – Operations & Supply Chain Management
      • MBA – Organizational Leadership
      • MBA – Nonprofit Management
      • MBA – Sport Leadership
      • MBA – General (One Year)
      • MBA – Global Fashion Merchandising Management
      • MBA – Project Management
    • Criminal Justice
      • MS – Criminal Justice
      • MPA – Criminal Justice
    • Culinary Management
      • BS – Baking & Pastry Arts & Food Service Management
      • MS – Food Safety
      • BS – Culinary Arts & Food Service Management
      • Professional Craft Brewing
      • BS – Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship
      • BS – Food Industry Compliance Management
    • Engineering
    • Health Science
      • BS – Public Health
      • Public Health
      • Sports Nutrition
    • Hospitality
      • BS – Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship
      • BS – Food Industry Compliance Management
      • BS – Hospitality Management
      • BS – Hotel & Lodging Management
      • BS – Residential Hospitality Management
      • BS – Sports, Entertainment, Event – Management
      • BS – Tourism & Hospitality Management
      • MBA – Hospitality
      • MS - Hospitality Management
      • MS – Global Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development
      • MS – Sport Leadership
      • Food Compliance
      • Hospitality
      • Quality Assurance in Hospitality
    • HR Management
      • BSBA - Human Resource Management
      • MBA - Human Resource Management
      • MS – Human Resource Management
    • Liberal Studies
      • BS – Liberal Studies
    • Nonprofit Management
      • Nonprofit Management
      • MS – Nonprofit Management
      • MPA – Nonprofit Management
      • MBA - Nonprofit Managment
    • Psychology
      • BS – Psychology
      • MBA – Organizational Psychology
      • MS – Organizational Psychology
    • Public Administration
      • MPA – General
      • MPA – Criminal Justice
      • MPA – Nonprofit Management
      • MPA – Homeland Security
      • MPA – Human Resource Management
    • Political Science
      • BS - Political Science
    • Sport Administration
      • BS – Sports, Entertainment, Event — Management
      • MBA – Sport Leadership
      • MS – Sport Leadership
    • Technology
      • BS – Computer Science
      • BS – Digital Marketing & Social Media
      • MBA – Information Security/Assurance
      • MS - Data Analytics
      • MS – Instructional Design & Technology
    • Sociology
      • BA - Sociology
  • Admissions
    Admissions
    JWU Admissions
    • Admissions Home
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Apply Online
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Transfer Students
    • Doctoral Admissions
    • On-Campus Admissions
    • International Admissions
    • Career Coach
    • Returning Students
    • Tuition and Fees
    • JWU Military
  • Financial Aid
    Financial Aid
    JWU Financial Aid
    • Financial Aid Home
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Scholarships and Grants
    • Military Benefits
  • Student Services
    Student Services
    JWU Student Services
    • Student Services Home
    • Academic Calendar
    • Career Resources
    • Academic Resources
    • Commencement
    • Technical Resources
  • Corporate Partnerships
    Corporate Partnerships
  • Blog
    Blog
  • About
    About
    About JWU
    • About JWU Online Home
    • Read Student Testimonials
    • Tour an Online Classroom
    • Two JWU Grads, One MBA Journey
    • Learn from Experienced Faculty
    • Meet Our Team
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Discover the JWU Difference
    • JWU Athletics
    • Attend a Virtual Open House
    • Video Library
    • Priorities Survey for Online Learners
  • Apply Now
    Apply Now
  • jwuLink
    jwuLink
  • JWU Main Site
    JWU Main Site

You are here

JWU Online > Blog > Five Fascinating Facts About JWU’s Founders
Career Catalyst

Welcome to Career Catalyst, our blog featuring helpful continuing education and career-related articles written by our faculty and staff. From study and motivation tips to career planning and interview techniques, we cover it all. Make sure to check back regularly, because we’re always posting new articles designed to help you get more out of your education and career.

Follow Us
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Google Plus
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • PinInterest

Five Fascinating Facts About JWU’s Founders

search_icon

Search

mail_icon

Subscribe

 

Five Fascinating Facts About JWU’s Founders

March 8th, 2018
by Shannon Hatch
This International Women's Day, we reflect on the lives and legacies of Johnson & Wales University’s founders, Gertrude Irene Johnson and Mary Tiffany Wales.
This International Women's Day, we reflect on the lives and legacies of Johnson & Wales University’s founders, Gertrude Irene Johnson and Mary Tiffany Wales.

On International Women’s Day, we reflect on the lives and legacies of Johnson & Wales University’s founders, Gertrude Irene Johnson and Mary Tiffany Wales. Here are five facts about this remarkable duo who set the course of the university more than a century ago.  

1. Johnson and Wales first met in Pennsylvania. Although the university that would one day bear their name has its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island, the pair met as classmates at the Pennsylvania State Normal School in the late 1800s, where they were schooled in business practices and skills. The Civil War left many clerical positions previously held by men vacant, and, thus, women were educated to fill these roles.

2. Both were teachers. After graduation, Johnson earned her master’s degree and then taught in public schools before working for a bank in her hometown of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Wales also taught in Pennsylvania before moving to Massachusetts at the turn of the century. After they opened the small secretarial school (which today is known as JWU) in Providence, they continued to teach—Johnson focused on the “quiet” courses such as shorthand, bookkeeping, and English in one room, while Wales taught the “noisy” skills like learning the typewriter, calculator, and mimeograph machine in a separate room.

3. They started JWU with next to nothing. Johnson and Wales started their school at Johnson’s home in Providence. They had one typewriter and one student. They were also nearly 40 years old.

4. They persisted. Two World Wars, the Great Depression, and a natural disaster were all not enough to deter Johnson and Wales. The school’s doors remained open through it all, and enrollment continued to grow, despite adversity.

5. They had a mission. Wales is quoted as saying, “We should teach a thing not for its own sake, but as preparation for what lies beyond.” This practical approach to education made graduates then—and today—prepared for success in their careers. Johnson and Wales so believed in their education that there is record of them allowing some students who couldn’t afford tuition to pay after they had landed their jobs. They also established relationships with area businesses to place students upon graduation.

To learn more about the Johnson & Wales University College of Online Education and how one of our degree programs can help further your career, complete the “Request Info” form on this page or call 855-JWU-1881 or email [email protected].

Blog Categories: 
General
March 8th, 2018
by Shannon Hatch
Back to Blog
next
Next Post

JWU Online Launches 21 New Degree Programs for Fall 2018

Read More >
Johnson & Wales University College of Online Education will launch 21 new online degree programs for fall 2018. Learn more about all the undergraduate-, graduate-, and doctoral-level degree programs at JWUOnline.edu!
prev
Previous Post

4 Sports Management Career Paths to Consider

Read More >
Our Sport Leadership expert identifies four sports management career paths with great potential.
Featured Blogs

The Rise of Ghost Kitchens

February 26th, 2021 – It’s a weeknight. You woke up early to get a head start on the day and, after working late, you’re... Read More

How to Change Careers

February 23rd, 2021 – If you are thinking about searching for a new career, you are not alone. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic... Read More

8 Ways to Write Better Papers

February 17th, 2021 – One of my roles as the College of Online Education’s Student Writing Support Specialist is to help... Read More

How to Get Started in Human Resources

February 17th, 2021 – In any field, it is important first to think deeply about what really interests and excites you. In... Read More

3 Takeaways from Year Two of My DBA Program

February 10th, 2021 – As a second-year student in the online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program at Johnson... Read More

Older Stories
Shannon Hatch's picture
AuthorShannon Hatch
Shannon joined the Johnson & Wales University College of Online Education in December 2014. Prior to writing, editing, and wrangling career-focused content for Career Catalyst and beyond, she applied her journalism degree from the University of Georgia as an editor at several national magazines. She’s happiest eating good food with her husband, giggling with her daughters, reading a well-written book or article, or teaching Jazzercise.
  • Now accepting applications
  • Apply now
  • Admissions

Career Coach

Continue to Career Coach

You are now leaving Johnson & Wales’ (JWU) site and going to a site not operated by us. We are not responsible for the content or availability of any site other than our own.The information provided on the site is provided by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI). EMSI has indicated to us the information provided is fair and reasonable. We do not make any representations or warranties, nor do we accept liability or responsibility, as to the accuracy or use of the information.  Additional links may also be provided, including those relating to employment opportunities. 

You are responsible for performing due diligence, such as ensuring the listings are for actual jobs and that your private and personal information are protected, when using or relying on information from any site.

 

Johnson & Wales University
115 Cedar St.
Providence, RI 02903
855.598.1881

© 2020 Johnson & Wales University
Privacy Policy  Nondiscrimination Policy

 

  • Contact Us
  • Accreditation & Approvals
  • Online Student Consumer Information
  • Catalogs
  • Handbooks
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
Back to top