Although it was originally founded in 1896 as the Alabama Girls’ Industrial School and enrolled only female students until 1959, the University of Montevallo has never had a woman president. Now the university has reached a historic milestone and selected Michelle R. Johnston to serve as its next president.
According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Montevallo enrolls more than 2,600 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students. Women represent 59 percent of the undergraduate population.
With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Johnston comes to her new role from Georgia Southwestern State University, where she has served as president for the past two years. Before her current presidency, she served as president at the College of Coastal Georgia, the University of Rio Grande, and Rio Grande Community College in Ohio.
Dr. Johnston’s new appointment marks a return to the University of Montevallo, where she previously taught as an assistant professor of marketing and management from 2007 to 2014. During her initial tenure at Montevallo, she also served in various administrative roles, including senior vice president for administrative affairs, vice president for institutional effectiveness, and special assistant to the president for institutional research, planning, and assessment.
Dr. Johnston holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree in piano performance from Louisiana State University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Mississippi State University. She completed postdoctoral training in marketing and management at the University of Florida.