Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). School of Commerce. Gregg Division
Dates
- Existence: 1952 - 1959
Biography
The Gregg College was founded in 1896 by John Robert Gregg, author of the extensively used Gregg Shorthand System. Courses were offered in shorthand, typewriting, bookkeeping and accounting, English and correspondence, secretarial and office training, personal efficiency, business mathematics, and court reporting. In addition to the day and evening sessions, a summer session for teachers was also offered. Both the summer session and the regular session were held at 6 Michigan Avenue for over thirty years, before moving to 57 Wabash Avenue, both located in downtown Chicago.
John Robert Gregg remained president of the college until his death in 1949. The McGraw-Hill Book Company purchased the Gregg College, along with the Gregg Publishing Company, at this time. McGraw-Hill gave the Gregg College to the Northwestern University School of Commerce shortly after purchasing it. The Gregg School supplemented the School of Commerce's offerings in secretarial science. Also, all the income generated by the Gregg Division would go directly to the school. Professor Russell Cansler was put in charge of the Gregg Division, establishing courses in secretarial certification, shorthand reporting, and an executive secretary sequence. Registrants were given the option to have twenty-four hours of course work placed toward a bachelor's degree from the Northwestern University School of Commerce.
The School of Commerce, in conjunction with the McGraw-Hill Book Company, also began to offer Summer Methods Conferences for Business Teachers in 1949. This continued until 1959, when the Gregg Division was dissolved because some faculty members of the School of Commerce didn't consider secretarial training appropriate for an undergraduate business school. The Summer Methods Conferences continued to be held by the McGraw-Hill Book Company at Northwestern University until 1967.
A more extensive history can be found in the Summer Methods 1949-51 folder, located in Box 2 of this collection.