The experienced and credentialed faculty bring a wide range of expertise to the fields they teach. Many faculty have experiences working as chefs, cybersecurity analysts, hospitality executives, nurses and business owners — and they bring that experience into every classroom.
Faculty don’t just know the theory. They know what employers are hiring for right now, which skills matter on day one of a job and how to prepare you for a career, not just a degree.
Want to know who you’ll be learning from before you enroll? Search our faculty directory by name, college or campus.
At JWU, faculty are practitioners first. Many have spent years — sometimes decades — working in the industries they now teach, and most stay active in their fields through consulting, professional associations or ongoing industry work.
That means your coursework reflects what’s actually happening in the field today, not what was true when a textbook was written. Faculty update their teaching based on real shifts in their industries, so you graduate with the skills employers are looking for.
Our goal is: How do we educate you as fast as possible so you can go contribute to the world?”
Doug Tondreau , assistant professor of computer science
Doug Tondreau, computer science professor
Start with a Mentor, Not Just a Major
Every JWU student is assigned a faculty mentor from their first year on campus. Your mentor is a resource for academic planning, career advice and connections to their own professional network — someone in your corner from day one through graduation.
Chef David Petrone was my very first instructor and my faculty mentor. He helped me gain confidence in myself, and within the program that I’m in. I think there’s just no other place that would care about a student like the instructors do here.”
Rence Loboncz ’23, Food & Beverage Management Major
JWU students don’t have to wait until graduate school to do research. Students actively participate in faculty-guided research and creative projects — an opportunity not always available to undergraduates at larger universities. Many present their work at the Student Research, Design & Innovation Symposium — with some going on to publish their findings before they graduate.
“Working with professors who are not only experts in their field but also genuinely supportive of student research made a significant impact on my academic growth. They helped me navigate the research process, refine my ideas and approach this project in new ways.”
JWU Associate Professor Tim Cox partnered with disability advocacy organization RAMP to design Rhode Island’s new disability access and charitable license plates, using his graphic design expertise and personal experience as a wheelchair user to promote accessibility and inclusion.
A JWU professor and alumnus turned their mentor-student relationship into a public art collaboration, creating a sculpture that now brightens downtown Providence.
