CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The $82 million campus that Johnson & Wales University will open downtown here by 2004 eventually will become the second largest campus for the culinary and hospitality institution, following only J&W's original Providence, R.I., location in size.

J&W, which is based in Providence, plans to consolidate its campuses in Charleston, S.C., and Norfolk, Va., into the Charlotte location. Charleston, with more than 1,300 students, and Norfolk, with more than 600, eventually will close. J&W, however, plans to maintain a presence in those cities, most likely through continued student internships.

The university system's other campuses are in North Miami with about 1,700 students, Denver with 646 students and an information technology campus in Worcester, Mass., with 69 students. The Providence campus has more than 9,000 students, giving the entire system more than 13,600 students.

The Charlotte campus is expected to have more than 800 students enrolled by 2004 and should reach a student population of more than 2,800 by 2007. Employment is expected to reach 250 staff members and faculty.

While Charlotte officials and businesses heralded the addition of a major educational institution as an economic and cultural boon to the city's downtown, J&W administrators view the move as fitting to its role as a career university.

The campus, which will be the anchor in a commercial and residential development project called Gateway Village, will be in an urban setting and close to businesses where J&W students can fulfill their internship requirements and, one hopes, obtain jobs after graduation, officials said.

"This is just a very complementary strategic fit," said John Yenna, president of J&W "As a career university, we're defined by our relationships with employers. Charlotte is full of world class partners. We fit in."

One of those partners is Compass Group LLC, which is based in Charlotte. Compass employs many J&W graduates around the world. The on-site foodservice operator also took about 100 J&W sophomores with it to the Winter Olympics in Utah. Compass was the official catering supplier for the 2002 games.

Compass recently made a $2 million donation to the university.

The city also sold a 6-acre parcel to J&W for $1 million. The site, which will be a part of the campus, was valued at more than $7 million, said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCory.

The university will take over major portions of the Gateway Center segment of the Gateway Village project, a joint-venture development by Cousins Properties Inc. and Bank of America.

The campus will have administrative offices, classrooms and dormitories. The university will build from scratch its culinary school, complete with state-of-the-art kitchen classrooms.

The J&W campus is expected to generate nearly $60 million in annual economic activity for Charlotte once it is fully developed. In addition to offering another educational alternative to residents, the Charlotte campus will create jobs and spur the city's travel and tourism, the mayor said.

"I think it will first improve and build upon the restaurant industry in Charlotte with all the new talent coming here," McCory said. "I think [the campus] itself will be a tourist destination and will invite people to come watch the students in action."

The city and Charlotte Center City Partners, a special tax corporation created to encourage development and entertainment venues in the city's downtown, were the ones to approach J&W officials about coming to Charlotte, McCory said.

J&W alumnus John Tuomala, a human resources manager for Compass in Charlotte, made the suggestion to city officials after hearing that J&W was in need of more space for its Norfolk and Charleston campuses.

"I'm very passionate about Charlotte, and this was a way to make a difference for both Charlotte and my alma mater," said Tuomala, who graduated with a business degree from the Providence campus in 1992.

The Charleston campus offers culinary and hospitality degree programs, while the Norfolk campus offers only culinary degree programs. Neither campus has room to offer all of J&W's course offerings, said Donna Yenna, who is vice president of career development and wife of university president John Yenna.

The Charlotte campus will offer both associate's and bachelor's degrees in those disciplines as well as business degree programs.

"At the other campuses we were limited by space," Donna Yenna said. "With Charlotte all of our campuses will have full-course offerings. Our brand will be consistent, and students will have an equal experience."

While the Norfolk and Charleston campuses are expected eventually to shut down over the next four to five years, the university aims to maintain the relationships it already has with employers in those cities.

A major part of the J&W curriculum requires students to do internships and work in the industry as they obtain their degrees. Nearly 80 percent of J&W students earn about half of their tuition through work during the school year. That relationship with employers also contributes to the university's high rate of job placement for students after graduation. About 98 percent of students are placed in career positions within 60 days of graduation, J&W officials reported.