Higher education change leader Mathew Johnson joins Rice’s Doerr Institute

Sociologist Mathew Johnson, associate dean for engaged scholarship at Brown University and executive director of Brown’s Howard R. Swearer Center for Public Service, has been named a fellow at Rice’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders.

MATHEW JOHNSON

In his role at the Swearer Center, Johnson oversees Brown’s efforts to connect students, faculty and community leaders and provide national and international leadership in the field of community engagement and engaged scholarship.

“Mathew Johnson is an expert in community engagement and in how to establish categorization standards in higher education,” said Tom Kolditz, executive director of the Doerr Institute. “His work at Brown University is nationally recognized. He will be a superb adviser to us in the Doerr Institute.”

Johnson is also director of the College and University Engagement Initiative and the co-founder and co-director of the National Assessment for Service and Community Engagement with the Siena College Research Institute. He also directs the Carnegie Foundation’s Classification for Community Engagement, which is housed at the Swearer Center, and leads the multiyear international Carnegie Classification project, which includes 26 institutions of higher education across the world.

“I am honored to join the community of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders,” Johnson said. “Preparing ethical, effective leaders has always been a part of the public mission of higher education in the U.S. Much work is to be done to elevate, evaluate and properly value this aspect of our institutional missions. I am excited to be doing that work with my new Doerr Institute colleagues as we convene and collaborate with others to build a national framework of best practice in leadership development and education.”

Johnson holds an appointment as professor of the practice in sociology at Brown.

Rice established the Doerr Institute in 2015 with significant support from alumni John and Ann Doerr. The institute’s mission is to “elevate the leadership capacity of Rice students across the university.” It is the country’s first professional leadership development program offered at no cost to all undergraduate and graduate students and is the premier leadership institute that provides individualized guidance from credentialed coaches for college students.