June 21, 2007
Johnson named to new post in Student Life reorganization
Lincoln Johnson, director of Student Activities and Union Facilities (SAUF), has been named to the newly created position of assistant vice provost for campus life, effective July 1. As assistant vice provost, Johnson will continue to direct SAUF, but will also be responsible for overseeing Greek Life, Recreational Sports Programs and a new unit tentatively titled Student Responsibility and Citizenship.
The change is part of a reorganization taking place within Student Life. Up to now, all directors in the division have reported directly to Eric Godfrey, vice provost for student life. With this change, Godfrey said, he is attempting to “bundle” together units with common work and purpose to help the division operate more efficiently and purposefully.
The biggest change with the reorganization will be the creation of the new unit. The soon-to-be-hired director of student responsibility and citizenship will administer the Student Conduct Code, something that is presently operating out of the vice provost’s office. The conduct code, Godfrey explained, sets out expectations for behavior and policies for holding students accountable. But he says the new director will do more than deal with problems after they arise.
“We think it’s important that students know what it means to be a member of the UW community,” Godfrey said. “We’re going to focus on educational efforts. And we’re going to work on initiatives north of 45th Street. We’d like to bring about improvements in the safety of the neighborhood.”
The new unit will start with a director and a support person; other staff may be hired later, Godfrey said. He said the Greek Life position is currently vacant, and when a new person is hired, he or she will move to the HUB, closer to the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council offices. The Greek Life director was previously housed in Schmitz Hall.
Johnson, the new assistant vice provost, has been director of SAUF at the UW for 11 years and has been working in college student personnel for 20 years. He started at Louisiana College, where his official title was director of student activities but where, he said, he did “absolutely everything. It was the best training ground in the world for a new professional.”
He moved from there to Baylor University and then to Mississippi State, where he was director of the student union. Then a friend brought the UW position to his attention and dared him to apply. The weather was gray and dismal when he arrived for an interview, but Johnson said the interactions with the people he met here convinced him to take the job, and he’s never regretted it.
Since his arrival in 1996, the number of student organizations has nearly doubled. No wonder, then, that the number of activities on campus has increased, HUB and South Campus Center reservations have increased and interactions with student activity advisers have increased.
“Lincoln has had an enormous impact on student life during his tenure here,” Godfrey said. “He’s made valuable contributions to building community, helped develop student leadership programs and directed a very large staff with great skill. He’s already been very deeply involved in the new areas we’re pursuing. I think he’s in a perfect position to move these initiatives forward.”
Johnson said he is “thrilled and overwhelmed” by the prospect of his new job. “I can tell you that I love — and I mean it — I love the work I do,” he said. “This position means I get to do more in that world.”
