
Heeding the calls from
former President Teddy Roosevelt during the 1917 Peirce commencement address,
in which he stressed the need for civilian participation, Peirce quickly mobilized.
The college, which at the time had recently been renamed
Peirce School of Business Administration, quickly initiated a number of special
programs and activities to help the country face its national emergency. Among
these programs were Peirce’s specialized War Courses. “These focused, intensive
programs prepared America’s working army to support the country at home by
giving them the skills needed to fill positions in government, at the Red
Cross, and clerical positions in the draft depleted private sector,” says Bart
Everts, the Reference and Instruction Librarian at Peirce College.
Courses like typewriting, calculating, and business
arithmetic - cutting edge and in-demand at the time – ran from 10 – 30 weeks as
well as offered courses to students during the summer. Stenographers in
particular were in huge demand and Peirce offered several courses to help fill
this gap. “The courses were thorough, but able to quickly get women out and
filling these critical positions,” says Everts. With husbands and sons now
overseas, many of these courses were flexible, offering day or evening classes
as a way to accommodate busy working women.
Though Peirce saw a significant increase in enrollment by
women, these courses were also extended to local branches of the Armed
Services, such as the Army Ordnance Field Service, and Naval Reserves to train
war time recruits in typing and other modern military bureaucracy related
roles.