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Paul Johnson's Curriculum Vitae
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GOLDEN, Colo., April 16, 2015 – The Colorado School of Mines Board of Trustees announced today that Paul C. Johnson is the finalist for president of Colorado School of Mines.
Johnson was selected from a group of candidates recommended to the board by a 16-member search committee comprised of faculty, staff, students, alumni and board members. Mines’ current president, M. W. Scoggins, announced in November 2014 plans to retire in June 2015 after having served a nine-year tenure. More than 500 individuals were contacted at the start of the search process, resulting in the search committee evaluating 68 formal applications for the position. Members of the board and search committee met in late February and March to interview candidates.
Johnson has served as dean and executive dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU) since 2006. He also holds the position of professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment. Comprised of six schools and more than 350 faculty, the Fulton Schools of Engineering offers 24 undergraduate, 27 masters and 13 doctoral programs, enrolls nearly 17,000 students from 50 states and 111 countries, and conducts more than $85 million of sponsored research annually. Prior to serving as dean, Johnson was ASU’s associate vice president for research and Fulton Schools associate dean for research. Before joining the ASU faculty in 1994, he was a senior research engineer at the Shell Oil/Shell Chemical Westhollow Technology Center.
“Colorado School of Mines is very pleased to announce Paul Johnson as the finalist to become its 17th president. As Mines continues its rapid trajectory as a world-class research university, it will demand much of the next president: creativity, passion, vision, global perspectives, and leadership of the highest caliber. The board believes Paul Johnson brings all these qualities and more,” said Jim Spaanstra, chair of the Mines Board of Trustees.
“The board wishes to thank all the members of the search committee for their hard work, dedication and assistance throughout this critical process, ” Spaanstra added. “We would especially like to thank President Scoggins for his exceptional leadership over the past nine years. The excellence of Mines and its growth in national stature was clearly evident by the caliber of candidates considered and the comments made by those interviewed.”
Johnson is an internationally recognized scholar whose research in soil and groundwater remediation and risk assessment are foundations for widely applied technologies and regulatory guidance. Johnson served on the National Research Council Committee on Future Options of the Nation’s Subsurface Remediation Effort. He also served as the editor for the National Ground Water Association’s journal, Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation.
Johnson is the co-author of 12 U.S. patents and has received numerous awards recognizing the impact of his research and contributions to the groundwater profession, including the National Ground Water Association’s Keith E. Anderson Award (2010) and the Lifetime Award in Remediation sponsored by Brown and Caldwell (2014). His research group has received Project of the Year Awards from both the Environmental Security Technology Certification and Strategic Environmental Research and Development Programs, which are given by the U.S. Department of Defense in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency.
As dean, Johnson focused on improving student outcomes and promoting innovative programming, curricula, and a peer-mentoring culture that emphasize the philosophy that students are to be engineers from day one. He championed experiential opportunities for students including internships, social entrepreneurship, undergraduate research, and undergraduate teaching assistant programs. Johnson has received outstanding educator awards and was twice selected the top teacher in the Fulton Schools.
“I am humbled and incredibly excited to be selected as the finalist for president of Colorado School of Mines,” Johnson said. “I have long admired this great institution, its unique mission and its many accomplishments and innovations. In an era in which technological advancements are driving transformational changes globally the potential for Colorado School of Mines and its graduates is boundless. It would be an honor to work with Mines’ faculty, students, staff, alumni, and external partners to achieve the university’s strategic goals and ambitions.”
Johnson and his wife Elyse, an elementary school teacher, have two adult children; Kyle is an editor in Mesa, AZ, and Kaitlin is a chemical engineering graduate student at the University of California-Davis. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California–Davis, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
Colorado School of Mines will host forums and meetings on campus with Johnson on April 29 and 30. Public comment can be sent to boardoftrustees@mines.edu and will be open until close of business on May 4, 2015.
About Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a highly selective, public research university, offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering and applied sciences. Mines is internationally recognized for its education and research programs focusing on stewardship of the earth and its resources, developing advanced materials and applications, addressing the earth’s energy challenges, and fostering environmentally sound and sustainable solutions. Through its three colleges and 14 academic departments, Mines enrolls 5,674 undergraduate and graduate students (fall 2014) and conducts more than $60 million in sponsored research.
Contact:
Karen Gilbert, Director of Public Relations, Colorado School of Mines | 303-273-3541 | kgilbert@mines.edu
Kathleen Morton, Communications Coordinator, Colorado School of Mines | 303-273-3088 | kmorton@mines.edu