From the very beginning, it was all about the doers.
Benefactors William Hood Dunwoody and his wife, Kate, made their fortune in the grain and milling business and were deeply invested in the Twin Cities community. After their deaths in 1914 and 1915, the bulk of their estates, nearly $5 million, was set aside for the establishment of a new post-secondary school in Minneapolis.
Unlike most colleges and universities at the time, the school the Dunwoodys envisioned was to focus on “industrial and mechanical arts.” In addition, they wanted the school to offer education “without distinction on account of race, color, or religious practice.” William and Kate Dunwoody had discerned a need for a place where young people from all backgrounds could learn “the better performance of life’s duties” — to, in the words of a later generation, do the things they were born to do — and their bequest was meant to make that vision a reality.
On December 14, 1914, the William Hood Dunwoody Industrial Institute opened in what was known as Old Central High School in downtown Minneapolis with a few dozen students and a curriculum that included classes in machine shop practice, cabinetmaking, millwork, and printing.
In the years that followed, Dunwoody College of Technology has maintained its commitment to technical education and to readying students for what its original benefactors called “life’s duties.”
Today, Dunwoody offers certificates, associate’s degrees, and bachelor’s degrees in more than forty majors. Hundreds of students graduate each year, ready to enter a diverse, performance-oriented, and modern workforce. They are among the more than 200,000 men and women who have received an education at Dunwoody over the years—alumni who gained the skills they needed to accomplish what they were “born to do.”
Honoring Milestones
1914-1930
In 1917, Dunwoody moves from the Old Central High School into two newly constructed shop buildings just west of downtown at its current location.
In response to World War I, Dunwoody shifts its focus to meet the nation’s military needs, training mechanics, radio operators, and bakers for the armed services. By the end of the war, Dunwoody has trained more than six thousand men for military service.
During the 1920s, Dunwoody adds new programs like building construction, electrical, mechanical drafting, painting, sheet metal, and highway construction. Annual enrollment tops four thousand—about one-third Day School students and the rest employed workers seeking additional Evening School training.
1930-1950
During World War II, Dunwoody once again answers the call to duty. The school ramps up operations to meet the demand for defense workers, staying open twenty-four hours a day during the week and part-time on weekends.
Fully half of the four thousand students in the institute’s Day School and Evening School enroll in classes preparing them for defense-related occupations.
Dunwoody introduces short courses in “pre-Army” and “pre-Navy” training, such as the operation and maintenance of military vehicles.
In response to high demand for workers in defense plants, Dunwoody begins training women for the first time.
In all, Dunwoody trains about fifteen thousand men and women during the war, almost all of them for war-related work.
In the years immediately following the war, a majority of the students enrolled at Dunwoody are military veterans.
Dr. Charles Prosser helps pass the Area Vocational Technical School Law, which leads the way to establishing eight technical schools in Minnesota and lays the foundation for technical education in the United States.
Total annual enrollment holds steady in the 4,200 range.
1950-1970
In 1950, Dunwoody began its International program, which trained foreign educators on how to teach technical education. By 1967 90 students from 16 different countries were enrolled at Dunwoody
In 1965, the school receives a gift from the estate of Henry E. Warren which includes the property across the street from Dunwoody, on which his Cadillac dealership was located. The school retrofits the building into the new home of its Automotive and Welding departments.
1970–1990
In 1971, Dunwoody opens its doors to women, a change in policy that leads to the admission of the institute’s first post–World War II woman student, Pam Spence.
In 1972, Dunwoody receives accreditation from the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools (NATTS), which makes it possible for students to receive new forms of state and federal financial aid.
The advent of the personal computer revolution inspires the introduction of new courses in computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) and other tech-focused fields.
A new commitment to diversifying the student body leads to the establishment of the Youth Career Awareness Program (YCAP), an initiative aimed at improving student retention and graduation rates among students of color.
In 1989, Dunwoody is named one of ten best technical schools in the United States.
1990–2010
Dunwoody begins offering bachelor’s degrees as well as associate’s degrees and certificates.
In 2002, the school adopts a new name: Dunwoody College of Technology.
In 2003, Dunwoody merges with NEI College of Technology.
The first official Dunwoody Alumni Association is formed.
2010–Present
As Dunwoody maintains its focus on preparing students for high-paying, in-demand careers, it embraces new technologies and expands its curriculum.
When Dunwoody celebrates its centennial year in 2014, its reputation as a dynamic, fiscally responsible institution is firmly in place.
Among its new programs are the School of Engineering, the School of Design, and Dunwoody Online, offering multiple online degrees.
New initiatives like Pathways to Careers (P2C, the successor to YCAP) are created to help foster success among students from under-resourced populations.
Under President Rich Wagner’s leadership, Dunwoody secures the largest gift in its history ($30 million) and completes the two largest campaigns ever ($75 million and $52.5 million).
After many decades of failed attempts, Dunwoody purchases the Dominion Building to complete its campus footprint.
100 Years of Dunwoody College
A History of Presidents
Harry W. Kavel, Principal | 1914-1915
Dr. Charles Prosser, Director | 1915-1945
Joseph Kingman Jr., Director | 1945-1957, President | 1957-1965
