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February 21, 2001

Morris F. Johnson III Named Interim President of Phoenix College

The new Leader at Phoenix College believes colleges must move away from the philosophy that students have the right to fail to one that emphatically embraces that educators have the responsibility to help students succeed.

Greater Phoenix, AZ - For the past fifteen years, Morris Johnson has been the Dean of Students at Phoenix College, one of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges. When Dr. Marie Pepicello resigned earlier this month as the college's fifth president, Chancellor Fred Gaskin appointed Johnson as the interim president. Dr. Pepicello will assume the president/superintendent position at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

"Morris Johnson was the logical choice to serve as Interim President," Dr. Gaskin said. "As Dean of Students, he has demonstrated his ability to lead the faculty, staff and students. He is well liked and respected. He takes pride in the heritage and traditions of Phoenix College as well as its multiracial and multinational student body. He has instilled a student-centered philosophy that enables students to be more self reliant."

Johnson said, "I am delighted to lead Phoenix College during the interim. I have also received tremendous support from faculty, staff and students. I believe the transition will be smooth. Dr. Marie Pepicello and I share the same philosophy - we must be student-centered if our students are to succeed. I believe that you lead by example - as leaders of colleges, we must not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk."

Johnson believes that a seamless web should exist between administrative services, instruction and student services to assure quality support for the students. "Education must be able to provide learning opportunities in a variety of settings and forums for students no matter where a student enters the learning continuum," Johnson said. This has been the basis of his philosophy on education throughout his career that started in 1974 as a student service officer in Des Moines, Iowa.

Community colleges, Johnson explained, are changing to meet the needs of the communities served. Changing demographics in the valley with more immigrants, refugees, an increasing Hispanic population as well as other nationalities are presenting new challenges to community colleges. In the past ten years, Phoenix College has experienced a change in demographics. In 1990, 65% of the student body was white; now only 41% are white.

The new president said, "As community college educators, we are responsible to have the support systems and education programs in place that allow everyone in our service areas the opportunities to succeed and become productive citizens. Our challenge is to maintain the high quality of education at Phoenix College and offer not only remedial education, but also accelerated programs. I am a firm believer that we must move away from the philosophy that students have the right to fail to one that emphatically embraces that educators have the responsibility to see that students succeed."

Prior to joining Phoenix College, Johnson was Dean of Student Development Services at Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa and Associate Dean of the Des Moines Area Urban Campus Community College. He joined the Phoenix College staff in 1986 as the Dean of Student Development Services.

He serves on the executive board of the National Council on Black American Affairs, an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges, and has been an officer in a number of national and regional organizations. He is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, National Alliance of Black School Educators, the National Association of Student Judicial Affairs and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. He is also a member of the Arizona Association of Student Personnel Administrators and Arizona Alliance of Black School Educators.

He was a participant in the 77th Annual Town Hall, Values, Ethics and Personal Responsibilities. He has chaired the Governor's African American Advisory Council, the Arizona Civil Rights Commission and the City of Phoenix Human Relations Commission.

President Johnson has been a presenter at many national conventions and workshops speaking on topics such as "Career Opportunities for African Americans in Community College Education," Planning for the 21st Century" and "From Planning to Implementation: Energizing Your Organization." In addition, he has spoken locally and nationally on African American issues and testified before the Joint Economics Committee of the U.S. Congress. In 1998, Johnson received the Pioneer Award from the National Council on Black American Affairs.

Johnson received his Bachelor's from Dubuque University where he majored in sociology and minored in political science. He earned his Master's degree in Psychiatric Social Work from the University of Iowa. He has post graduate hours toward a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University.

The Maricopa County Community College District is composed of 10 community colleges, several satellite campuses, skill centers and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu.

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March 13, 2002