The Olin community welcomes Marc Johnson as Vice Provost for Student-Centered Institutional Effectiveness. Learn more about Marc and his experience in this Q&A.
Meet Marc Johnson, who joined the Olin Community as Vice Provost for Student-Centered Institutional Effectiveness.
Can you share a bit about your background and how you came to be at Olin?
I'm a longtime higher education professional with roots in Atlanta, where I was born, and in the Republic of Panama, where I lived for six years growing up. I moved to New England after college and have lived here ever since. My family and I live in Milton.
I was drawn to Olin because of its small size, sense of community and orientation toward working together. That kind of environment energizes me.
What inspired you to work in higher education? If it was not your initial plan, what made you shift career paths?
My undergraduate experience at Morehouse College inspired me to work in higher education. I arrived as a freshman with one vision for myself. Four years later, I had a much different personal vision and a distinct sense of responsibility for my community. I credit Morehouse for that transformation. At some point I realized that I wanted to help colleges and universities do for their students what Morehouse did for me. I've spent my career with that goal in mind.
Do you have a favorite moment in your career you can share?
When I returned to graduate school for my doctorate, I had no prior experience with statistics. I took a couple of required courses and later enrolled in an advanced methods course as a personal challenge. From day one, I was out of my depth! Still, it was one of the best learning experiences I've had because it showed me I can do things I didn't think I was capable of. Knowing that about myself has helped me push through some very challenging professional moments since.
Your role is about understanding how students learn and grow at Olin, in and out of the classroom. How do you start with a question that big?
Curiosity. I want to get to know as many students, faculty and staff as I can, and dive into life at the college. Expect to see me around—in the library, the dining hall, activities, events and classes—and expect me to reach out to get to know you. And please reach out to me, too. I’m excited to learn and to share.
Even in these early days of being an Oliner, is there a vision or idea you're excited to work toward here?
Right now, the vision I'm most excited to work toward is getting to know Olin and Oliners. Everything else will grow out of that.
What do you like to do for fun and/or in your free time?
I enjoy cooking and like experimenting with pizza dough and ice cream recipes. I love traveling. My family and I have seen four of the seven wonders of the modern world in the past five years. And I'm a big fan of snowboarding. I started three years ago and have gotten a little better each year. Winter is coming, and I cannot wait.
Oliners can ask me about…?
Generative AI. I'm a frequent user across various areas of my life including cooking, travel, snow clearing and work. I also spend a lot of time reading and thinking about its impact on individuals, communities and humanity.
Oliners can teach me about…?
The Olin way of collaborating to build and solve problems. I have a reputation for being a partner, collaborator and team player, but doing that in an engineering, project-based setting the way Olin does is distinctive. That's something Oliners can teach me, and I'm eager to learn it.