Kimberly Johnson has been named the University of Oregon’s permanent vice provost for undergraduate education and student success.
Johnson has served as interim vice provost for the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success since February and has been at the university in a number of roles since 2014, most recently overseeing much of the university’s student advising. Provost Patrick Phillips announced her permanent appointment to the role in a message to university employees.
“President Schill named student success as one of his key priorities on day one of his arrival on campus, and Kimberly has played a key role in making that happen in a variety of critical roles in UESS,” said Phillips. “She is extremely well respected across the entire university and is perfectly poised to help lead us in our next phased of focused effort.”
Prior to serving as interim vice provost, Johnson served as assistant vice provost for advising, where she provided divisional and campuswide leadership for academic advising. She oversaw the Office of Academic Advising, the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence and many of the university’s wraparound advising services, including Tykeson College and Career Advising.
Johnson also was integral in the development and implementation of advising and retention strategies to ensure the university meets or exceeds student retention goals.
“When I graduated from the University of Oregon, I was filled with dreams of working in higher education like so many of my mentors and be a voice of change, increasing access to education,” Johnson said. “Now, 20 years ago to the day that I received my degree, I am excited to continue helping our students realize their dreams in this role. I am honored to lead not only my division, but the next generation of student success with equity at the center of our work.”
She has also engaged with the university community in a number of ways outside of her full-time role, including as an author for a part of the 2020-21 Common Reading program, as a speaker for the UO’s African American Workshop and Lecture Series and as an adviser for one of the UO’s historically Black sorority chapters. She grew up in Eugene and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and a master’s from the University of Maryland.
In concluding his message to employees, Phillips noted the preparations and work ahead as the university plans for a return to campus in the fall.
“As we celebrate the launch of our current graduates into the next phase of their careers and turn our focus to fall and a return to campus, our commitment to student success and support will remain at the core of everything we do,” he wrote. “This will no doubt come with challenges as we continue to address COVID-19, gaps in learning due to remote teaching, and the long-term impact of the pandemic. I am excited to have Kimberly with us in this permanent role to help address these challenges and lead our continued efforts to support the success of our students.”
Johnson will assume the permanent vice provost role immediately. The full announcement can be found on the Office of the Provost website.
—By Jesse Summers, University Communications