OSRHE : State System : Chancellor Glen D. Johnson

CHANCELLOR GLEN D. JOHNSON, JR

Professional
Dr. Glen D. Johnson Jr. is the chief executive officer for the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. Johnson leads a state system comprised of 25 state colleges and universities, 10 constituent agencies, one higher education center and independent colleges and universities coordinated with the state system. He reports to a constitutional board whose nine members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

Johnson provides leadership on matters relating to standards for Oklahoma higher education, courses and programs of study, budget allocations for institutions, fees and tuition, and strategic planning. He is responsible for an annual higher education budget in excess of $1.4 billion as well as the state endowment fund, with a market value over $200 million. He is responsible for OneNet, the state’s telecommunications network for government and education, as well as the Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program, which has guaranteed more than 1 million student loans exceeding $2.5 billion in insured debt. Johnson directs 20 statewide scholarship programs as well as other programs, including the State Regents’ Summer Academies in Math and Science program and the statewide GEAR UP efforts.

Background
Johnson became the 8th chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education in January 2007 after a national search. Before assuming the role of chancellor, Johnson served as the 16th president of Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant for 10 years.

During his tenure as president, Johnson instituted strategic goals and plans for the university that have positioned the institution as the “university of choice” for students in southeastern Oklahoma and northern Texas. Through his leadership, enrollment increased to maximum capacity (4,500–5,500), and the university experienced renovation and expansion in an aggressive five-year plan of campus infrastructure and student-centered learning and living environments; integration of the latest technology into the curriculum and classroom; and building collaborative partnerships among academic disciplines and external constituencies through research, development and academic innovation.

Johnson served as director of public policy and professor of law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Prior to his work OU, Johnson served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1982 to 1996 and was speaker of the house from 1990 to 1996. At the time of his election as speaker, he was the youngest sitting speaker in the United States.

Johnson has been recognized both statewide and nationally as a strong, untiring advocate for funding for education, both secondary and higher education, in Oklahoma. His powerful political career was a model of success in leadership, as evidenced by the variety of his many major accomplishments not only for his own District 24 (Hughes, Okfuskee and Okmulgee counties), but also in major initiatives, funding and improvements for the entire state of Oklahoma as speaker of the house and chair of important legislative committees.

During his term in the House, Johnson was instrumental in the passage of HB 1017, Oklahoma’s landmark education reform legislation, and served as chair of the Appropriations and Budget Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. He authored SB 180 in 1988 that created the Endowed Chairs Program and spearheaded the opportunity to use $14 million from the proceeds of the Higher Education Bond Issue for OneNet. In 1992 he was principal author of HB 2428, the $350 million Higher Education Bond Issue. Johnson’s unflagging efforts on behalf of raising the bar on higher education in Oklahoma are simply too numerous to list.

Academic Credentials and Honors
Johnson is an honors graduate of the University of Oklahoma, with an undergraduate degree in political science and a juris doctor degree from the OU College of Law. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa at OU and received the Letzeiser Award as one of OU’s outstanding seniors.

Johnson holds memberships in numerous professional, state and national organizations and has been the recipient of many awards and honors during his career. He was a founding member of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence in 1986. He is also chairman of the Oklahoma Heritage Association’s Board of Directors and was named to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in November of 2006.

Personal
Johnson is the son of former U.S. Congressman Glen D. Johnson Sr. and Imogene Johnson. He was born in Oklahoma City and attended grade school in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Muskogee High School in 1972.

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