Associate Dean Bill Johnston accepts position as provost at Randolph-Macon

RELEASED: April 30, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—William W. Johnston, the H.W. Stodghill Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean, has been selected to serve as Randolph-Macon College’s new provost and chief academic officer. Johnston, who will begin in his new position on July 1, will move to Ashland, Va., with his wife Susan and daughter Katie.

"Bill Johnston has contributed to the Centre tradition of camaraderie and has helped create an even more collegial and engaging environment for the excellent work of our faculty," says Centre president John A. Roush. "With a mixture of regret at his departure and pride in his new appointment, we at Centre wish him the very best.

"Bill came to Centre in 1988 and since that time has made a number of outstanding contributions, both in the classroom and as an administrator. In addition to his fine teaching and scholarship, he is now completing his second three-year term as associate dean. During this time, the College's four-year graduation rate has risen to 80 percent and the freshman retention rate has reached 90 percent for the first time in Centre's history."

Says Johnston: “Randolph-Macon College has an outstanding academic program and national reputation. I look forward to working with Randolph-Macon’s dedicated faculty to build on their already good work. My friends and colleagues at Centre College have helped make this new position possible for me. I am very grateful for the almost 20 years that I have spent at Centre and in Danville, and my family and I are thankful for the many strong relationships established with people in this community. Danville will always be a special place for us.”  

Robert R. Lindgren, president of R-MC, said in a campus-wide e-mail announcing Johnston's appointment: "Dr. Johnston greatly impressed the search committee and me with his outstanding record as an exceptional teacher, an accomplished scholar, a highly regarded administrator and an extremely thoughtful and positive person."

Johnston's wife, Susan, has played a significant role in Centre's admission success of recent years. She has worked in the admission office since 1992 and has served as associate director of admission since January of 2000.

A native North Carolinian, Johnston is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wake Forest and holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Virginia. Early in his tenure at Centre, Johnston was a special program instructor at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas and also an instructor with the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars program. Also, Johnston has chaired the Campus Beautification Committee since its inception and has headed its important projects, such as the installation of outdoor classrooms, landscaping around new building construction and the annual Arbor Day planting.

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