2021-2022 Diversity Fellow Chrystal Johnson

EDUCATION NEWS

CHRYSTAL JOHNSON: COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 2021-2022 DIVERSITY FELLOW

by Jennifer Merzdorf

Purdue University’s College of Education announced the appointment of Dr. Chrystal Johnson, Associate Professor of Social Studies Education, as the 2021-2022 Diversity Fellow on May 24. Dr. Johnson will follow Dr. Ayşe Çiftçi, the inaugural College of Education Diversity Fellow. The Diversity Fellow program was launched in 2020 at the direction of Dean Nancy Marchand-Martella, the Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of the College of Education, in response to a proposal from Dr. Ayşe Çiftçi to address issues of diversity and equity in the College. Dr. Çiftçi’s proposal included several important diversity initiatives to raise awareness and educate faculty, staff, and students and included strategies to review, revise, and monitor the progress and attention to diversity and inclusivity. “Dr. Johnson’s work on race and civic and character development and her passion for social studies education make her uniquely qualified for this Fellow position,” said Dean Marchand-Martella. “As Diversity Fellow, Dr. Johnson will continue and expand upon the work that Dr. Çiftçi started and keep us focused on critical issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Dr. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education and Past President of African American Educators for Social Studies and the Indiana Council for the Social Studies. She has served as Program Chair and Treasurer for the College and University Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) as well as a Dean’s Fellow in the College of Education. Recently, Dr. Johnson served on the Purdue Equity Task Force. She is currently the Secretary/Treasurer for the Charters and School Choice Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Her scholarly contributions in the fields of character education, civic development, and social studies have been published in top-tier journals as well as in the AERA Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color. Specifically, her research focuses on race, civic and character development, and schools of choice. Her conference presentations have addressed Black youth civic engagement perspectives in an era of Black Lives Matter and apparent differences in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)-Civic results across school types. She continues to examine issues of identity and motivation in character and civic development. She currently serves as Program Coordinator for Social Studies Education. “The Diversity Fellow is vital to the College’s vision for an inclusive learning community. It is my goal to enhance the cultural, academic, and pre-professional experience of undergraduate and graduate students, with an emphasis on those from underrepresented backgrounds,” said Dr. Johnson. With the input of Dean Marchand-Martella and Dr. Çiftçi, Dr. Johnson will complete several key action items during her tenure as Diversity Fellow, including meeting regularly with historically underrepresented faculty, staff, and students. Additionally, Dr. Johnson plans to conduct a day-long retreat bringing together College of Education leadership and key stakeholders from the Office of Diversity Initiatives (ODI); Equity and Diversity Committee; historically underrepresented faculty, staff, and students; and historically underrepresented community members, alumni, and guests from other colleges and units. The goal of the retreat will be to review existing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; to discuss the ideas submitted from each program area; and to develop strategies aligned to the new College strategic plan as they impact diversity, equity, and inclusion through a sustainability lens. Dr. Johnson is looking forward to the opportunities of the coming year. “In this moment, I believe the College is strategically positioned to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through engagement, research, and teaching. Numerous initiatives established by my predecessor not only supported the equity, diversity, and inclusion work of our faculty, staff, and students, but also sparked conversations that I hope to continue throughout the academic year. I look forward to working with Dean Marchand-Martella, faculty, staff, and students to accomplish key goals.” In this moment, I believe the College is strategically positioned to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through engagement, research, and teaching.

ABOUT CHRYSTAL JOHNSON

Learn more about Dr. Chrystal Johnson: https://www. education.purdue.edu/faculty-profiles/name/ chrystal-johnson/