Final dean of students candidate to speak today

The fourth and final candidate for the dean of students and vice provost of student affairs position, Geneva Walker-Johnson, said she likes to serve college students for one reason: They are the future.

The final open forum of the four finalists for the next dean will be at 5 p.m. today at the IU Maurer School of Law in room 123. Walker-Johnson will have the chance to share her background and learn more about IU.

Walker-Johnson said she thought it was appealing that the dean of students reports to the provost and executive vice president, who deals with academic policies, because this mixes experiences inside and outside the classroom.

“I was very intrigued that this was part of the formal structure,” Walker-Johnson said.

Walker-Johnson is the current dean of students and chief student affairs officer at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., a public research university with more than 23,000 students enrolled, according to its Web site.

Walker-Johson said one difference between ODU and IU is that ODU shares a naval base with Norfolk.

“We have a military culture that is unique compared to other universities,” Walker-Johnson said.

She also said world conflicts have a direct impact on ODU students.

“We have students who might be here for one or two semesters, but then their family has to go to Afghanistan, so they have to leave,” Walker-Johnson said.

Before working at ODU, Walker-Johnson received her bachelor’s degree at Loretto Heights College, her master’s at the University of Northern Colorado and her doctorate in education at the University of Pennsylvania.

According to her resume, she served in student affairs at a variety of different universities from Wellesley College when it was an all-women school to Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black college.

“At each institution, there’s a real unique culture and character, which, for me, has enhanced that experience,” Walker-Johnson said.

Having an effect on students’ potential is something Walker-Johnson said she enjoys.

“What I do today shapes the lives of the students I serve,” Walker-Johson said.