LOGISTICS & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Johnson College, a two-year technical college, was founded by Orlando S. Johnson, a wealthy coal baron in the Scranton area who died in 1912. Mr. Johnson left the bulk of his estate to establish and maintain a trade school and his purpose became the mission of the College as an institution “where young men and women can be taught useful arts and trades that may enable them to make an honorable living and become contributing members of society.”

A board of directors was created and a 65-acre tract in Scranton known as the William H. Richmond estate was selected as the site for the new enterprise. Opening in 1912, the school admitted young men and women who had completed a minimum of eight years of school and were 14 years old.

In 1964, the school became a post-secondary institution requiring applicants to be high school graduates or to have equivalency certificates. The name of the institution was changed from the Johnson Trade School to the Johnson School of Technology in 1966. The school was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in 1967, and in 1968 it was licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Bureau of Private Trade Schools. Approval to award a degree of Associate in Specialized Technology came in 1974, with accreditation by the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools (NATTS) following in 1979.

In 1985, the name of the school was changed to Johnson Technical Institute; the three-year Associate in Specialized Technology degree programs were changed to two-year programs in 1987.