Diversity at Johnson University

In 2018, our Diversity Task Force created and shared this Diversity Commitment. It was subsequently incorporated as a key component in the University’s strategic plan.

Johnson University strives to foster an equitable, diverse, and inclusive community that promotes the success and wellbeing of women and men across races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, and ages.

Johnson University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is first and foremost rooted in scripture. Our mission statement—to “educate students for Christian ministries and other strategic vocations framed by the Great Commission in order to extend the kingdom of God among all nations”—derives from Jesus’s Great Commission given in Matthew 28. This mission commits us to extending God’s kingdom among and making disciples of all people. Furthermore, Johnson University is committed to reflecting the multicultural kingdom of God that includes people from every tribe, language, people, and nation, as shown in Revelation 5. Finally, as Paul describes the Christian’s ministry as one of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5, we are committed to the ministry of reconciling both humanity’s broken relationship with God and humanity’s broken relationship with others, relationships which often manifest themselves in divisions between races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, and ages. We pursue this reconciliation by embracing and embodying the God-given gifts of unity and diversity.

Johnson University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is also rooted in our heritage. Johnson University rose from the tradition of the Stone-Campbell Movement, which seeks to foster unity in the midst of theological diversity for the larger goal of mission as described in Jesus’s prayer for unity found in John 17. The founders of the University were dedicated to providing education for all socioeconomic groups, as evidenced by their openness to all “who desire above every other desire, to preach the Gospel of Christ.”

We have not and do not live out these ideals perfectly, but we aspire to move toward our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all areas of the University: students, staff, faculty, and administration.

How do we increase hospitality and make our spaces welcoming to all? Here are some of the values and practices we are working on as a community.

• Genuinely seeking to understand why someone thinks/feels/believes differently than you do
• Looking for hints of Christ in others and in yourself
• Slowing down: paying attention to what those around you might be thinking/feeling/experiencing
• Being kind to everyone you pass—the little things count
• Organizing roundtable discussions on discrimination and exclusion focused on listening and planning steps for moving forward
• Intentionally entering different cultural spaces to learn and become more sensitive and hospitable to those unlike you
• Being honest and real and kind (we are all learning together)
• Acknowledging and appreciating the differences among people that affect everyday experience and community together
• Being willing to talk about culture, diversity, inclusion, race, and disabilities.
• Listening to people who are different from you
• Promoting cultural celebration events such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and others

• Cohorts of faculty and administrators have attended Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Diversity and Inclusion Conferences and presented action steps to the JU leadership team.
• The senior leadership at JU named diversity one of the University’s core future strategies in the University strategic plan.
• Johnson received a $4,000 Project Promise Grant from the Appalachian College Association, a collaborative program to help campuses identify their strengths and weaknesses regarding diversity and inclusion. This has enabled our campus to conduct an audit and coordinate focus groups to better understand issues of diversity and inclusion on campus, and it has provided some helpful data-driven action steps for us as we strive to make Johnson a welcoming place for students and employees of color.
• Several faculty and staff lead trips both within the United States and internationally that lead to greater understanding of diverse cultures. One notable trip was a Civil Rights tour led by Dr. Kenny Woodhull and Dr. Sheryse DuBose.

• In 2014, Johnson University created the Urban Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of experiences for Johnson students, faculty, staff, and community members, including summer science camps for middle schoolers, scholarships, and a nine-month intensive “Engage Knoxville” experience for Johnson juniors and seniors. The organization’s Urban Scholars program continues to connect Knoxville’s urban scholars from six local high schools to financial, educational, and networking resources to support them in graduating with a four-year degree; at least 75% of Johnson’s Urban Scholars are students of color, and the program has retained all but one of its 13 scholars.
• In 2014, the University also partnered with Emerald Youth to begin summer programs for young people in Knoxville, and in January of 2020 JU and Emerald Youth announced an expanded partnership to support Emerald’s Calling and Career Ministry.
• In 2016, Johnson University created Future of Hope, a nine-month cohort program for Knoxville high schoolers that includes opportunities for connection with community leaders, spiritual formation, and challenges to think theologically about living in a contemporary urban context.
• In 2018, JU created a Greater Knoxville Advisory Board to guide our community engagement initiatives. We have ongoing partnerships with Knoxville Inner City Kids Outreach, the Great Schools Partnership, the Change Center, Centro Hispano, Restoration House, Amachi, the Boys and Girls Club, and others. People of color serve on this Board, including leaders from BattleField Farms, Overcoming Believers Church, Project GRAD, and the Center for the Study of Sport and Religion at University of Tennessee.
• In 2020, the University established the director of multicultural student affairs position and opened the Center for Multicultural Student Affairs. The Center provides information and resources to prospective students, leads activities and programming to facilitate the spiritual and academic development of students from outside the majority culture, works with academics and student life to encourage inclusion of diverse students among the student body, and supports efforts to train faculty and staff toward the inclusion of diverse peoples in the life of the University. The Center for Multicultural Student Affairs provides space for International Engagement, Students Promoting Social Unity (SPSU), Urban Alliance, and Future of Hope. It has become an important social space on campus where students study, have meetings, develop community, and host small group chapels.
• In August 2022 Dr. Sheryse DuBose assumed the position of director of multicultural student affairs, and the position became full-time and devoted solely to directing the MSA department. Dr. DuBose completed her studies at the University of Tennessee, earning a Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Cultural Studies. She also has a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Hampton University. She has taught courses related to cultural studies of education at the University of Tennessee and taught social studies on the high school level. She also has extensive experience working in community development. Most recently, she was the first Historic Neighborhoods Preservation Administrator for the Town of Hilton Head, South Carolina where she educated citizens on Gullah culture and land preservation. Dr. DuBose also worked for the Knoxville Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission as a planner.
• Faculty and staff developed a Diversity Task Force which has initiated or supported various campus events promoting diversity and inclusion, including professional development for faculty and staff, the addition of cultural competency training into the curriculum, a faculty-staff book club, and the expansion of diversity scholarships. One such scholarship is the Ananeoo Scholarship, which was established by recent Tennessee alumni and has raised thousands of dollars in scholarships for students of color. The name for the scholarship, which comes from the Greek word for renewal, was chosen by SPSU to indicate a step of restoration.
• Johnson partnered with Kenny Moore, pastor at Hope Fellowship Church in Knoxville, to help lead our Chapel Leadership Team in developing chapel services.

• Students Promoting Social Unity (SPSU) is a student group that has existed for several years on Johnson’s campus. In addition to events that help raise students’ awareness of social issues, SPSU has used its weekly meeting to facilitate workshops and discussions designed to promote cultural competency among the student body from a gospel-centered perspective.

• New to Johnson in 2020 was the Black Student Ministries group, led by Johnson students facilitating spiritual formation in a context that is more welcoming for Black students or students from Black church backgrounds. BSM holds student-led Bible studies, prayer gatherings, and fellowship events.

• In 2023, SPSU and BSM worked together to initiate a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march on campus from the Graham Center to the MSA house to bring together all students, faculty, and staff to pray and dialogue together on issues of unity and reconciliation.