June 10, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to announce that I have appointed Kimberly Johnson to the permanent position of vice provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success (UESS). Kimberly has been serving in this role as interim vice provost since February, providing crucial leadership for the university and ensuring the University of Oregon continues to support students as they navigate their way through a pandemic-interrupted academic year.

Prior to serving as interim vice provost for UESS, Kimberly served as assistant vice provost for advising where she provided divisional and campus-wide leadership for academic advising, and oversaw the Office of Academic Advising and the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence and many of the university’s wraparound advising services, including Tykeson College and Career Advising. She was integral in the development and implementation of advising and retention strategies to ensure the university meets or exceeds student retention goals.

In addition to her full-time role, Kimberly has engaged and supported the UO community in a number of other ways. Her novel This is My America was selected as part of the 2020-2021 Common Reading Program and she was a featured speaker as part of the UO’s African American Workshop and Lecture Series. Kimberly also regularly engages with our students as a mentor to Black student leaders, as a graduate advisor, and as an alumni advisor to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a historically Black sorority that has an active chapter on the UO campus.

During Kimberly’s time in the interim role and with her wealth of experience supporting students, it became clear to me and my leadership team, with input from a variety of university stakeholders, that our students would be extremely well served by appointing Kimberly to the permanent role. Kimberly has the rare ability to combine a data-driven approach with a very student-centered orientation to not only help students along their academic journey, but to help them thrive.

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. 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.

Please join me in congratulating Kimberly on her new role, which will take effect immediately.

Sincerely,

Patrick Phillips
Provost and Senior Vice President