The historical university finds strong, energetic leadership in new president
Tuskegee, AL (April 29, 2014) – After an extensive national search, today Tuskegee University’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Brian Johnson, Ph.D., has been unanimously selected to become the seventh president of Tuskegee University. Dr. Brian Johnson will assume the role of president on June 15th, 2014, succeeding Dr. Gilbert L. Rochon.
Johnson Dr. Johnson is currently the Interim Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness and Assistant Provost/Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Tuskegee University was built as the intellectual epicenter of African American culture and academia and remains one of the nation’s leading historically black institutions standing on a foundation of outstanding leadership in 133 years of service since its founding by Booker T. Washington. The university graduates over 75 percent of the African American veterinarians in the world and is the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) with a fully accredited College of Veterinary Medicine that offers the doctoral degree. Tuskegee University is also the largest producer of African American STEM graduates.
Dr. Johnson, age 40, is a dynamic, proven academic leader with a strong stature as a scholar, manager and administrator who will carry on the university’s vision of inspiring, supporting and educating the hands, hearts and minds of the next generation of great leaders. Dr. Johnson is one of the youngest individuals to be selected president of an HBCU in recent years.
“The Board of Trustees’ presidential search team worked very hard over the past six months to find the seventh president of our university,” said Chairman of the Board of Trustees retired Maj. Gen. Charles. E. Williams. “Dr. Brian Johnson is the perfect fit for these times and his selection was unanimous. We are pleased with his preparation to serve as our next president and he has our total support.”
Dr. Johnson is known as a vibrant and progressive administrator, professor, and scholar. He has authored or edited seven academic books, including two on W. E. B. Du Bois and one institutional history of his alma mater, Johnson C. Smith University, an HBCU. Dr. Johnson has received numerous academic and administrative awards including a 2012-2013 (A.C.E.) American Council of Education Fellowship where he served at Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis under the mentorship of Chancellor Charles Bantz. While there Dr. Johnson spent an extensive amount of time within the newly created Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, serving on Dean Gene Tempel’s Dean’s Advisory Council during the school’s formation.
“I am honored to have been selected as a servant and steward of a tremendous, powerful tradition and legacy,” said Dr. Johnson. “I see myself in the tradition represented in the Tuskegee man and woman. It will be a privilege to serve the Tuskegee alumni, Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and most of all – students.”
In his most recent role, Dr. Johnson had oversight of student learning outcomes assessment, academic program accreditations, coordination of risk assessment for academic affairs, new faculty orientation and special academic programming. Dr. Johnson served on the Executive Cabinet and the Capital Campaign, Chaired the University-wide Assessment Committee, and served as the liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Tennessee Board of Regents – the sixth largest university system in the nation. Additionally, Dr. Johnson lead the university’s Performance Funding Planning and Strategic Planning efforts, serving on the administrative leadership team that earned a 12.9 percent increase in its Tennessee Performance Funding Plan, the largest increase granted among Tennessee universities for the 2013-2014 academic year.
With upward trends in student retention and academic performance, faculty teaching, research and enrollment, Tuskegee University remains a globally competitive university that prepares graduates for success and service.
Dr. Johnson is a proud husband and father of two sons, ages 10 and 9.
About Tuskegee University
Founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee University is home to approximately 3,000 students from the U.S. and 30 foreign countries. The academic programs are organized into seven colleges and schools: 1.) Andrew F. Brimmer College of Business and Information Science, 2.) College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, 3.) College of Arts and Sciences, 4.) College of Engineering, 5.) College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health, 6.) Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science, and 7.) School of Education.
Tuskegee University is accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master’s, doctorate, and professional degrees. The following programs are accredited by national agencies: architecture, business, education, engineering, clinical laboratory sciences, nursing, occupational therapy, social work, and veterinary medicine.
To learn more about Tuskegee University, go to: www.tuskegee.edu.
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