Q & 6
New President in Novel Times
heart of wp u
HEART OF WPU
Welcome, Dr. Brian L. Johnson In a welcome like no other, Dr. Brian L. Johnson was announced as the eighth president of Warner Pacific University. On the morning of June 12, 2020, Dr. Johnson and his wife Shemeka gathered in their home in South Carolina while on the opposite coast, the Warner Pacific University faculty and staff joined together online, both parties eagerly awaiting an introduction that would change all of their lives. Recognizing this unique moment, the restrictions of COVID-19 could not hold back the WPU community’s excitement. When the Chair of the Warner Pacific Board of Trustees, Greg Englund, announced Dr. Johnson, the Zoom gathering erupted in cheers. While the typical welcome for a new President involves press conferences, luncheons and inauguration events, this start is taking a different direction for Warner Pacific and its newly appointed leader. Despite the circumstances, Dr. Johnson took on his new role with just as much enthusiasm, and the community welcomed him with open arms. As the first minority president in the institution’s 83-year history, Dr. Johnson comes to WPU with a lifetime of preparation. Dr. Johnson is an accomplished professor, scholar, speaker and administrator. Notably, he has published seven academic and scholarly books, including two books on William Edward Burghardt Du Bois and one institutional history of his alma mater—Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black university. When describing what drew him to Warner Pacific, he said, “I want to be somewhere I can bring to bear my faith commitments, my
scholarly commitments, my ethnicity, and frankly, all the things that prepared me for this moment I see evidenced and embodied in Warner Pacific as a Christ-centered, urban, minority-serving institution situated in a metropolitan environment.” With a quick look at this lengthy list of accomplishments, it’s clear why the community would be excited to welcome Dr. Johnson to the WPU team. His extensive academic history shows his preparation for this role. Dr. Johnson received his Ph.D. in English from the University of South Carolina, specializing in 17th–19th century American Literature, and his M.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Before taking the helm at WPU, Dr. Johnson was the Vice President/Senior Campus Administrator at Mercy College in Manhattan, NY. From 2014–17, he served as the President and CEO at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL. He also served as Interim Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness and Assistant Provost/Assistant Vice President for Academics at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN.
the m ag a z i n e of Warner Pacific University
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