Bill Johnson is already in his first week as president of Youngstown State University.
Former Republican Party congressman’s last day Congressional representation of 11 eastern Ohio counties in the 6th Congressional District fell on January 21, and his first day as YSU president fell on January 22 — earlier than he was originally scheduled to start in March.
“It wasn’t something I was looking for, but YSU is an incredible institution with an incredible legacy of producing top-notch graduates who meet the job needs of our region and beyond,” Johnson recently wrote in opinion article for Canton Repository. His annual The salary at YSU is $410,000.
Johnson spent the past week mostly meeting with faculty, staff and students, university spokeswoman Rebecca Rose said in an email.
“These immersive events will continue in the coming weeks,” she said. “She is working hard to engage all areas of campus to encourage an environment of collaboration and mutual respect so that YSU can thrive.”
The YSU Board of Trustees appointed Johnson as university president in delayed November, sparking outrage students, staff and graduates.
Actor Ed O’Neil plans to return the honorary YSU doctorate he received in 2013 to the university.
“I was very disappointed when I heard about this decision,” he said recently. said on MSNBC. “This is a slap in the face for all of us.”
O’Neil, who is best known for his roles in The Bundy Family and Modern Family, admitted that he used to be proud of his honorary title, but that is no longer the case.
“It means nothing to me now,” he said.
Three Youngstown State University boards of trustees previously donated thousands of dollars to Ohio Republican Congressman Bill Johnson’s congressional campaign — candidate who was recently appointed as the 10th president of YSU.
Board of Trustees The names of the other finalists were not publicly disclosed, nor were they invited to meet with university students and staff.
“Regardless of him and his political views, the bottom line is the board did this behind everyone’s back,” said Rose McClurkin, a senior studying political science at Youngstown State University.
She helped organize a walkout on campus on Johnson’s first day. About 50 to 60 people marched from Tod Hall, where the president’s office is, to Pollak House, where Johnson lives, and “made some noise,” she said.
McClurkin wants the university to adopt a policy that seeks input from the community, students and faculty before selecting the next president.
“We do not want this lack of transparency to happen again,” she said.
Mark Vopat, president of the Ohio Education Association chapter at Youngstown State University, and other members of the executive committee held an hour-long meeting with Johnson last week.
“We just had a very open conversation about our concerns, our concerns about him and his experience or lack thereof,” Vopat said. “We had concerns about the future of the university and the vision, the direction it was going and what it was going to emphasize.”
Johnson, who does not have a Ph.D., answered questions but did not provide many details, Vopat said.
“We are in a waiting state,” Vopat said. “Let’s wait and see how things go.”
Johnson’s Policy
Johnson, 69, is an ally of Trump and has already endorsed his presidential bid. He objected to the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election on Jan. 7, 2021, and voted with Trump 96.8% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.
“He’s a polarizing guy,” O’Neil told MSNBC. “I mean, he’s an election denier, he’s not the biggest fan of the gay community. He’s anti-choice.”
Vopat hopes that Johnson will be able to put politics aside as university rector.
“That’s one of the things that’s causing concern,” he said. “He told us in the meeting that that was his intention. … I would say I’m cautiously optimistic.”
Johnson served more than 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and in 2010 was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The primary election to fill Johnson’s seat will be held on March 19, with the general election taking place on June 11.
Five candidates are running to replace Johnson — three Republicans and two Democrats: State Senator Michael Rulli of Salem, state Representative Reggie Stoltzfus of Paris Township, Rick Tsai, Michael L. Kripchak and Rylan Z. Finzer.
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