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Community engagement is a catalyst in our mission to educate students for strategic vocations. Students can choose from dozens of majors, and no matter what career they prepare for, a sense of calling is nurtured through strategic partnerships in the greater Knoxville area.
Community engagement is always mutually beneficial. Our community benefits from resources the University adds to local businesses, organizations, and initiatives. Students benefit from experiences that complement their studies. The University benefits as local partners connect us to the best students from many backgrounds, races, and cultures.
We like to say community engagement makes Johnson University a better place to learn and the greater Knoxville area a better place to live.
Johnson University created the Greater Knoxville Advisory Board in 2018 to explore opportunities to connect Johnson’s students, faculty, and staff with the city of Knoxville. The Board includes leaders from education, business, ministry, healthcare, politics, and nonprofits. In addition to partnering on specific initiatives, GKAB members build awareness of JU and serve as strategic advisors to help the University match regional needs with Johnson resources.
Current and past members include:
Will Acker, Young Life Knoxville
Daryl Arnold, Overcoming Believers Church
Jerry Askew, Alliance for Better Nonprofits
Tomma Battle, YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center
Bill Brittain, Mayor, Hamblen County
Claudia Caballero, Centro Hispano de East Tennessee
Jeff Case, SNMP Research
Ronni Chandler, Project GRAD Knoxville
Dean Craig, Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Terry Douglass, Provision Healthcare Foundation & Provision Trust
Rick Dunn, Fellowship Church
Carol Evans, Legacy Parks Foundation
Mark Field, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce
Doug Harris, Harris Restaurant Group
Jane Jolley, Knox County Mayor’s Office
Dale Keasling, Home Federal Bank (GKAB Chairman)
Jon Lawler, Johnson & Galyon, Inc.
Chris Martin, Knoxville Leadership Foundation
David Ragland, Knoxville Christian Foundation
Mike Ragsdale, Tennessee Strategies
Jon Rysewyk, Knox County Schools
Shara Shoup, Emerald Youth Foundation
Tommy Smith, Johnson University (President)
Laurens Tullock, Tullock Consulting
Steven Waller, UT College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Gary Weedman, Johnson University (President Emeritus)
Anthony Wise, Pellissippi State Community College
In a single semester, JU students serve over eighty community organizations and volunteer more than four thousand hours! They mentor teens, coach sports, tutor youth, teach English as a second language, distribute food, raise funds, care for the environment, advocate for equal rights, promote mental health, and more. Our faculty and staff lead and participate in capacity-building initiatives that prepare students and families for college, promote justice, and add cultural value to our community.
Some of our community partners include:
The Johnson University campus is one of our strongest resources, and sharing it with the community is part of our engagement strategy. Our bucolic grounds, with property on the French Broad River, are a short drive from downtown Knoxville. Facilities are suited for small retreats or larger events with hundreds of participants. We have hosted school administrators, sports teams, non-profits, governmental groups, churches, civic organizations, and more. Some recent examples include:
We are just getting started with community engagement. Partnerships in the works include:
If you are a non-profit, business, or civic entity in the greater Knoxville area and you have opportunities that match Johnson University resources, let’s explore a partnership. Contact , Director of Community Engagement.