PhD, Higher Education & Student Affairs, The Ohio State University

Dr. Royel M. Johnson, associate professor of higher education at the USC Rossier School of Education, is a nationally recognized scholar, whose interdisciplinary research addresses issues of educational access, racial equity and student success. His work has an unapologetic focus on racially/ethnically minoritized and other institutionally marginalized populations including young people with foster care experience and justice-involved youth.

Previously, Dr. Johnson served as Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University, where he was also Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education.

Dr. Johnson maintains a highly active program of research with over 40 academic publications, in addition to three forthcoming books/monographs: “Racial Equity on College Campuses: Connecting Research and Practice” (SUNY Press); “Family Matters: How Youth in Foster Care Access College” (Teachers College Press); and “Enacting Student Success: Critical and Alternative Perspectives for Practice” (Jossey-Bass). Moreover, he is principal investigator (PI), or Co-PI, on grants and contracts exceeding $5.1 million from the Spencer Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, and Department of Health and Human Sciences, among others. He has delivered over 100 talks, lectures, and workshops for various stakeholders, instantiating his commitment to connecting research to policy and practice to improve the material conditions of underserved populations.

For his professional accomplishments, he received the 2020 Distinguished Young Alumni Award from the University of Illinois; ACPA—College Student Educators International’s 2020 Emerging Scholar Award as well their 2022 Outstanding Contribution to Multicultural Education and Research Award; and the 2021 Cotterrill Leadership Enhancement Award, recognizing “exemplary leadership” in Penn State’s College of Education. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Ed.M. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs, with a cognate in Race and Social Policy from Ohio State.

Expertise
Race and racism | College access and student success | Organizational change for racial equity

Extended bio and CV at USC Rossier