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What’s the Difference Between JWU Providence’s Harborside and Downcity Campuses?
There are so many changes that come with starting college, one of the biggest being the new living situation. Making the transition from a suburban area to an urban area — or vice versa — can be challenging. This transition is made easy at Johnson & Wales University, where students have access to the best of both worlds through two Providence campuses: Harborside and Downcity. If you are someone who enjoys a more quaint, nature-filled living space, then the Harborside Campus is for you. If you like the high energy of city life, then you’ll love the Downcity Campus. And if you have a dog or cat you can’t live without, you’re in luck — both campuses offer pet-friendly housing options.
While they do have differences in atmosphere, the same vital resources are located at both campuses. These include Health Services, Academic Success Centers, libraries, gyms and multiple dining options such as coffee shops and small markets. Both campuses also have many outdoor spaces to hang out at, which students take full advantage of in the warmer weather. Still, knowing what sets the two campuses apart and how JWU maintains a unified student body across both could help your decision of choosing where to live.
JWU’s Downcity Campus offers convenient access to city life. With coffee shops, artisan boutiques and a trove of quality bookstores just across the street, there are so many things to do. Beyond local shops, the Downcity Campus is also a short walk from the Providence Place Mall, which houses, among other shops, the Providence Place Cinemas. In fact, last year, Providence was voted in USA Today as the second Most Walkable City in the United States, so getting around is rarely a challenge. Meanwhile, JWU’s Harborside Campus offers students a respite from the busy city. There is access to a beach and surrounding green space off campus and athletic fields for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. There is even a chicken coop at Harborside, so it generally has a quieter, nature-forward atmosphere.
Academics and Dining Options
The Harborside campus is home to the College of Food Innovation and Technology (CFIT), making it a mecca of all things culinary. The Cuisinart Center for Culinary Excellence, which houses four floors of culinary and baking labs and dining rooms, is here. JWU’s Culinary Arts Museum is also located at the Harborside Campus, giving students a stellar resource and fun destination to explore. The Harborside Academic Center (HAC) is home to many traditional lecture-style classrooms, a few culinary labs, the HAC Amphitheatre and the Harborside Café, the central dining hall on this campus. Liberty Market, which offers deli sandwiches, ready-to-eat foods and grocery items, is also located at the Harborside Campus. There is also Willie’s Grab-and-Go, which offers made-to-order flatbreads, salads, frozen yogurt and smoothies, which is located Downcity as well as at Harborside.
The Downcity Campus is where the central offices of the rest of JWU’s many colleges are. Buildings for the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Health and Wellness, College of Hospitality Management and College of Business are located on this campus. This means that many classrooms, labs and presentation rooms for coursework related to these colleges live Downcity. Still, classrooms, labs, and study spaces related to all programs of study can be found at both Downcity and Harborside Campuses. In terms of where to eat Downcity, Snowden Dining Hall is the primary dining space. Clocktower Market as an additional option that has a deli as well as lots of grab-and-go items. While both campuses have Starbucks, something unique to the Downcity Campus is JWU Local, a student-run coffee shop that sources its goods from Rhode Island purveyors.
Although there are central buildings for certain programs located only at one campus or the other, JWU integrates aspects of all curriculums across both the Harborside and the Downcity Campuses. This means that, for example, students from the College of Health and Wellness’s Dietetics and Applied Nutrition program use the culinary labs at Harborside. The Center for Media Production, which was created with the Media & Communication program in mind, and is located Downcity, is another example of JWU’s interdisciplinary spaces, as students from all programs of study utilize it.
Residential Life
Just because most of a student’s classes are located at one campus, it does not mean they need to live there. For example, given that the Harborside Campus is home to CFIT, many culinary students spend time there, but that does not mean they necessarily live there. In fact, the split between culinary students who live at Harborside and those who live Downcity is about 50/50.
The Residential Life Department at JWU does a tremendous job in ensuring the same level of quality and living opportunities are offered at both campuses. Most residence halls offer singles, doubles, or quads, and some even have community kitchens. In terms of choosing where to live, Becky Budynkiewicz, director of residential life, explains, “Students really gravitate toward a campus that they feel like they just connect with.” So, regardless of what a student is studying, the campus they choose to live depends entirely on their preference.
In terms of the actual residence halls at each campus, there are a variety at each. Downcity, there is Snowden Hall, McNulty Hall, Xavier Hall and Imperial Hall. At the Harborside Campus, there is South Hall, East Hall and West Hall. Something a little different about Harborside is the Harborside Village, a community of apartment-style residence halls for upperclass students. There is also the Centennial House, a smaller, more communal house located slightly off campus in Cranston, as well as Harbor View, which is another residence hall located less than a mile down the road from the Harborside Campus. With so many options across both campuses, students have ample opportunities to be part of a genuine community.
Wildcat Wheels
Harborside and Downcity campuses are about three miles from one another, so the best way to get to and from one another is by vehicle. Fortunately for JWU students, this is made easy by Wildcat Wheels. This is JWU’s very own bus system, which is free and regularly runs buses throughout the day, allowing students to easily travel back and forth between campuses.
Antonio Jusino ’27, is a student double majoring in Baking & Pastry Arts and Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship, so he’s often at the Harborside campus. However, he also works as a cook at Snowden Dining Hall and lives at Harbor View. This means he depends on Wildcat Wheels daily, which is something he speaks highly of, saying, “It’s honestly like a cake walk.” Antonio says that, although they are on a schedule, the drivers often wait for students if they see them running late. As long as students plan accordingly, there will always be enough time between classes to get from one campus to the other. Antonio says that the whole Wildcat Wheels system is “really easy and really convenient for students.”
Two Spaces, One Community
Having so many options in terms of academic setting, residential halls and dining spaces makes JWU’s two campuses one of its greatest features. Jesi Halprin, assistant professor of English, regularly teaches at both campuses. She enjoys spending time at both locations for different reasons, saying, “I’m very much a person who prefers to be outside as much as I can be, so [Harborside] is really nice.” However, Halprin also enjoys some exposure to the city, saying “For the Downcity Campus, I like that I can walk down the street and get a coffee.” Halprin also appreciates the Downcity campus’s access to local businesses.
People unfamiliar with JWU may see the Harborside Campus and the Downcity Campus as two separate colleges. While the bulk of culinary classes are located at Harborside, the reality is that JWU Providence functions as one unified school. Living opportunities, student resources and social activities are sprinkled evenly across the university. Students, faculty, and staff regularly travel between the two campuses, so anywhere a community member goes, they are bound to see a familiar face.
