Staff Profile: Will Johnson

Submitted by Web Communications on September 11, 2006

 

Fairfield isn’t just producing graduates; we’re creating legacies.

Will Johnson

Associate Dean of Students
Director of Student Diversity Programs

best night out

Our multicultural talent show. You look at the audience, and you see people from all different backgrounds. You look on stage and you see a student doing slam poetry, a professor singing songs in her native Russian, a group doing an Irish dance, a hip-hop dance. It’s a real celebration.

biggest success

The cura personalis mentoring program. It’s named after the Jesuit belief in caring for the whole person. Faculty and staff served as volunteer mentors to students from under-represented populations – students of color, first-generation college students, low-income students. We’ve also got a Safe Space program, where staff and faculty are educated to mentor students who have issues around gender and sexuality. Gradually, you see students develop a connection to the University. They apply to be resident assistants, take leadership roles in student government, join the Ignatian Residential College. They belong.

the pitch

When I talk to students about coming to Fairfield, my first pitch is about the educational opportunities: there’s so much you can do with the resources we have, the reputation we have. My second pitch is about being a change agent. We’re becoming more diverse, more interactive, more inclusive – and you can be a big part of that. Step up to the plate. Help shape the next great Fairfield community.

his real job description

In the end, we’re developing relationships. I talk to students about their work, their plans, the latest “American Idol” – we share our lives and talk about the world. We explore ways different cultural groups can work together. Fairfield isn’t just producing graduates; we’re creating legacies.

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