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Despite objections from faculty, staff, alumni and students, Youngstown State University (YSU) has named Congressman Bill Johnson, a Republican representing the 6th Congressional District in Eastern Ohio, to become the university’s tenth president. He will succeed Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State University football coach, who retired as YSU’s President in February.
At an emergency meeting Tuesday, where an audience booed the decision, the university’s Board of Trustees voted 8-1 to offer Johnson the job, after negotiating a three-year contract that will pay him a first-year salary of $410,000. Apparently, Johnson was one of three finalists for the position, but the identities of the other two were not revealed by the Board.
According to local news affiliate WFMJ, the trustees acknowledged receiving a petition from YSU students, faculty and alumni that condemned it for a lack of transparency and for not letting students and faculty participate in the selection process.
The board took its vote in executive session, but prior to that vote, YSU faculty union president Mark Vopat voiced this objection: “Can I ask why you’re having public comments after you’ve already made a decision in this executive session as opposed to taking as you can see a huge number of the academic community, faculty, staff and students, and you’ve just acknowledge that you got [their input]? The horses are out, and you’re going to close the barn door.”
Campus concerns about Johnson’s selection came in two forms. First, many decried the lack of transparency in the process which, unlike previous presidential searches at YSU, offered no opportunity for public interactions with candidates nor any campus input into the selection.
Second, Johnson has taken a number of political positions in his role as a Congressman that have been controversial. For example, he voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, writing in part, “most of the people I represent know the truth – that between the news media acting as the public relations department of the Democrat party, Big Tech’s big thumb on the social media and search results scales, and credible allegations of election fraud in some states, many believe the 2020 election wasn’t fair.”
That dubious claim prompted this headline today in The Chronicle of Higher Education: “A University Taps an Election Denier as Its President.” In addition to his election denials, The Chronicle pointed out that Johnson has also opposed gay marriage and supported then-President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries.
These concerns were expressed in a letter sent to the board from a group of alumni once it became clear that Johnson was the preferred candidate: “The fact that Johnson’s positions are highly contentious — and directly relevant to the diverse interests and identities of YSU’s student body — increases the need for public vetting of his candidacy,” the letter reads. “We demand that the board rescind its offer to Bill Johnson and conduct a presidential search that involves the university at large, permitting input from faculty, staff, students and alumni.”
Johnson is a former Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and IT executive with an undergraduate degree from Troy University in Alabama and a Master’s Degree from Georgia Tech. He has no prior leadership experience in higher education.
Johnson did not specify when he would step down from Congress. Instead, he posted this statement on his X (formerly twitter) account:
After much thought and prayerful deliberation, I have accepted the offer to lead Youngstown State University and will not be seeking an 8th term in Congress. As I’ve stated previously, I wasn’t looking for another job, because I love the one I have serving the people of Eastern Ohio in the U.S. House. This was an extremely difficult decision.
This is not a goodbye, however. I will continue serving in the House for several more months, and you will see no let up. My offices are open and my staff remains ready to serve you. There is still much left on my agenda to do before I depart Congress, including doing all I can to help pass tax exemption legislation to benefit the people of East Palestine as well as a broader rail safety bill, streamline America’s LNG export process, and advance a responsible budget and spending package for the remainder of this fiscal year. It’s business as usual.
As to whether his political views will affect how he conducts his duties as president, Johnson’s statements at a press conference after the announcement will probably do little to quell campus concerns. On the one hand, Johnson said his prior time in politics will not affect how he conducts his presidency, adding “my focus will be on fostering open dialogue, understanding diverse perspectives and contributing positively to the well-being of every student.”
But that was followed by this: “Everybody’s got their hair on fire because they think I’m going to bring my politics here. But if everybody else is allowed to bring their politics and ideology here and I’m not, how is that fair?”
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