DARTMOUTH – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Chancellor Robert E. Johnson will resign from his position on Sept. 4 after serving as the university’s chancellor for three years, the university announced Thursday.
It was not clear why Johnson was resigning from his position and the school did not specify whether an interim chancellor will be in place come September. UMass Dartmouth did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.
In a statement, Johnson said he is “honored and humbled” to have led the university that “prides itself on its ambition, creative thinking, and research breakthroughs.”
“Together, we developed a shared ambition for the university’s future and have accomplished much,” Johnson said. “The state of UMass Dartmouth is strong, and it is positioned well for its next chapter with its next leader. Nothing stops and the journey continues. The university is advancing, the leadership is committed, the employees are resilient, and I could not be prouder of the students.”
UMass Dartmouth said Johnson, who was named chancellor in 2017, helped the university obtain a $4.6 million research grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to fund research projects in underseas technologies. It is the largest such grant that the university has ever received.
Other accomplishments UMass Dartmouth made under Johnson’s leadership include securing more than $1.2 million in funding for the university’s Blue Economy initiative to create an interconnected marine science and technology corridor in the southeastern Massachusetts region, new residence and dining halls being built on campus, and expanding the College of Nursing into the College of Nursing & Health Sciences to provide students with health care workforce training and education opportunities, the university said.
UMass President Marty Meehan said in a statement that Johnson’s spirit and commitment to student success “have helped create new opportunities for individuals and SouthCoast communities over the last three years.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
