Chancellor Johnson leaving UMass Dartmouth

DARTMOUTH — UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Robert E. Johnson has announced he is leaving his position, just short of three years after he arrived at the Dartmouth campus.

Johnson made the announcement in a morning press release.

The statement said he will leave the campus in September.

“I am honored and humbled to have led, for three years, this world-class university that prides itself on its ambition, creative thinking, and research breakthroughs,” said Chancellor Johnson. “I reflect fondly on our time together and what we have accomplished since I arrived in July 2017. Together, we developed a shared ambition for the university’s future and have accomplished much,” in the press statement.

UMass System President Marty Meehan praised Johnson's time in Dartmouth in the same statement.

“Chancellor Johnson’s entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to student success, and belief in the power of a university to strengthen regional economies through research and engagement have helped create new opportunities for individuals and SouthCoast communities over the last three years,” Meehan said. “His leadership, grounded in personal and professional experiences, has been critical to the continued ascension of UMass Dartmouth as a national research university, especially during recent months as UMass and all of higher education have confronted unprecedented challenges.”

According to the press release, highlights of Chancellor Johnson’s tenure include:

The largest research grant in the University’s history - $4.6M from the Office of Naval Research to fund research projects in undersea technologies.

Achieving #84 nationwide and #3 in Massachusetts for student social mobility after graduation by U.S. News & World Report.

Strengthened connections to the SouthCoast region for student learning experiences and community impact projects.

Secured more than $1.2M in funding for the University’s Blue Economy initiative that will create an interconnected marine science and technology corridor in the SouthCoast region.

The completion of a new residential and dining complex for incoming first-year students.

Research growth across campus, including a 26% increase in new externally funded grant awards from FY18-19.

The expansion of the College of Nursing into the College of Nursing & Health Sciences to provide students with interdisciplinary, team-based health care workforce training and education opportunities.

Johnson made the following statement about the current position of the school.

“The state of UMass Dartmouth is strong, and it is positioned well for its next chapter with its next leader. Nothing stops and the journey continues. The university is advancing, the leadership is committed, the employees are resilient, and I could not be prouder of the students,” said Johnson.

Johnson, at his April 2018 installation, laid out a sweeping vision for the school, calling it“inventing our future.” It had many elements of prior speeches, in particular the “agile minds” that will be needed to continue the advance of the university.

At the time, Johnson struck a theme he said he once heard from his Uncle Bob, editor of Jet Magazine for 45 years, and his father, Percy, who were steeped in the civil rights movement.

They spoke to him about “this is your time,” and Johnson applied it to the current crop of graduates.

“This is your time. If you will fight for your dreams, we will fight for you,” he told the audience of about 800 in the campus center auditorium. “You are the generation who will solve many of the problems throughout the world.

Johnson had used the first months on the job to become extensively familiar with the SouthCoast’s regional goals. He also developed a master plan for the campus that includes such things as freshmen housing and an expanded athletic facility.

At his installation, Johnson called UMD the “crown jewel of Massachusetts.”

“Inventing the future” may sound cliche, but it is literally what universities are going to have to do to keep pace with the changes in the world. Do that, and today’s graduates have unlimited potential, he said.

“Today’s college graduates will hold at least 17 different jobs in five different industries,” he said, “Sixty-five percent of the jobs they will hold do not yet exist.”

The ceremony was attended by dozens of faculty and officials of other colleges and universities, along with several dozen UMD alumni. Former Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack, 1999-2012, attended.

“He is a dynamic, forward-thinking and passionate leader with a true belief in the power of higher education to build communities and transform lives,” said President Meehan at the time. “But most of all, he is a leader who cares.”