University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown - History

History

The University of Pittsburgh first established a presence in Johnstown prior to World War I when the Johnstown School Board asked the university to offer continuing education courses at extension class sites in local teachers' institutions. By 1926 a more permanent relationship was sought by the school board and UPJ was officially founded as a two-year college of the University of Pittsburgh on September 24, 1927. Throughout the 1920's and 1930's it held classes in the Johnstown High School building in the Kernville section of downtown Johnstown. After World War II, the Johnstown College moved to the Moxham section of town where the number of courses and students increased. In the early 1960s, community leaders worked with the University of Pittsburgh to build a new campus in Richland Township, a Johnstown suburb. The new campus opened in 1967 with two classroom buildings, five dormitories, and a student union. Degree-granting status was awarded to UPJ by the University of Pittsburgh in 1970. The campus has grown significantly since that time, with five academic buildings, a library, an expanded student union, a sports and aquatic center, a conference center, a chapel, a performing arts center, and a large cluster of dormitories, lodges, townhouse apartments and other student residence housing. UPJ now offers over 40 baccalaureate and associate degree programs.