Vice President of & Alumni Relations

About Johnson & Wales University

Johnson & Wales University (JWU), founded as a business school in 1914 in Providence, Rhode Island, is a private, nonprofit, accredited, comprehensive university. JWU offers an excellent educational experience to students across a diverse spectrum of programs that are designed to prepare graduates to make meaningful and immediate contributions in their fields of choice. JWU educates more than 8,000 graduate, undergraduate, and online students at its campuses in Providence, Rhode Island, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and has a global impact, with alumni in 130 countries, pursuing careers worldwide.

JWU is an innovative educational leader, and the university’s four colleges offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts and sciences, business, food innovation, hospitality, nutrition, and health and wellness. It also offers undergraduate programs in culinary arts, dietetics, and design. In 2024, JWU launched the first reduced credit bachelor’s degree in the nation—called the Career-Focused Bachelor of Science degree. The first class enrolled this fall 2025.

In 2010, the university began offering online classes, which today, through JWU Online, offers more than 100 online undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, certificate and micro-certificate programs to 2,500 students from 53 states/territories and 16 countries. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) and many programs hold specialty accreditations.

JWU’s unique model provides students with personalized attention, academic expertise, and industry connections that inspire professional success and personal growth. The time students spend at JWU is nothing short of transformative, as demonstrated by career outcomes, expected earnings, and economic mobility rankings. JWU students thrive in JWU’s supportive community, which encourages their passion for hands‑on learning, values their intellectual curiosity and immerses them in dynamic labs and career-focused classrooms.

Students actively participate in experiential education. More than 1,100 students complete internships and most (65%) are paid.

JWU’s 10-year strategic plan, known as the Powered By Series has three components spanning that time frame. The second of the series, Powered By Possibility 2027, underscores our dedication to an education rooted in excellence, strengthening industry connections, enhancing our institutional foundation and fostering a culture that elevates our mission. Most JWU students (98.7%) receive financial aid. The university is committed to making education affordable and in the past year launched the JWU Pledge, a guarantee or full tuition through federal, state and institutional aid for eligible students.

The Providence Campus - the university’s headquarters – is comprised of two locations serving a diverse student body of 4,260 students. The Downcity Campus, located in the heart of Providence, is home to the College of Hospitality & Business, the John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences, and the College of Health & Wellness. A short distance south is the Harborside Campus, home to the College of Food Innovation & Technology.

Other major facilities on this campus include the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School, the Wildcat Center (home of the NCAA Division III JWU Wildcats), Harborside Village residence halls, and the university’s Culinary Arts Museum.

The university also has a campus in Charlotte, North Carolina that opened in 2004 and currently enrolls more than 1,100 diverse students from 46 states and 13 countries. The nearly 12‑acre, urban campus in Uptown Charlotte offers programs in food innovation, hospitality, business, arts and sciences, and health and wellness, as well as a combination of urban living and Southern charm.

U.S. News & World Report ranked JWU Providence as the 7th Most Innovative School in the Regional University North category. JWU Charlotte was ranked as the 29th Best College in the Regional College South category and the 13th Best Value…