Danette Ifert Johnson has been named chief academic officer at Kalamazoo College in Michigan, effective July 1, 2019. The college enrolls about 1,400 students, 57 percent of whom are women.
Currently, Dr. Johnson serves as a tenured professor and vice provost at Ithaca College in New York. Additionally, she is the director of Ithaca’s Integrative Core Curriculum. Prior to teaching at Ithaca College, she had been a faculty member at West Virginia Wesleyan College and Texas Tech University. She was president of the Alumni Council for West Virginia Wesleyan College and was executive director and president of the Eastern Communication Association.
“My interactions throughout the search process confirmed that the community-wide commitment to prepare students for an ever more complex and diverse world is genuine,” said Dr. Johnson adding, “I am especially eager to collaborate with K’s outstanding faculty and staff as we look for ways to enhance the outstanding educational experiences already in place. I am excited to begin working with President Gonzalez and the entire K community.”
Dr. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and history from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a master’s degree in educational psychology from West Virginia University, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. both in communications studies from Northwestern University.