{"id":60094,"date":"2020-07-01T15:03:20","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T19:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=60094"},"modified":"2020-07-01T15:21:21","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T19:21:21","slug":"president-emeritus-who-helped-lead-merger-with-muo-passes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/07_01_2020\/president-emeritus-who-helped-lead-merger-with-muo-passes","title":{"rendered":"President Emeritus Who Helped Lead Merger With MUO Passes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daniel M. Johnson, who became president of The University of Toledo in 2001 and helped lead the 2006 merger with the Medical University of Ohio (MUO), died July 1.<\/p>\n

Johnson, who was known for his work promoting a student-centered culture and fostering community engagement during his tenure as the University\u2019s 15th president, served in higher education leadership positions for more than 40 years throughout his career. He developed collaborations and partnerships among public universities, government entities, industrial corporations and international organizations.<\/p>\n

\"Dan<\/a>

Johnson<\/p><\/div>\n

He was instrumental in the UToledo and MUO merger that set the University apart as one of just 27 comprehensive public universities in the country with its breadth and depth of academic programs.<\/p>\n

In his final State of the University Address on Jan. 19, 2006, Johnson described UToledo in a \u201cstate of readiness\u201d to begin shaping the future of the new University of Toledo.<\/p>\n

\u201cUT is poised and is now ready to take a giant step that will put it in a new league of universities. Our university \u2014 the University to which we all have linked our professional lives \u2014 is ready to embrace a future that will include a nationally recognized medical school, a world-class health campus and a distinguished university hospital,\u201d he said. \u201cThe University of Toledo is ready for the new opportunities and responsibilities that will come with our merger with MUO. It is a new beginning for two major universities with deep roots in our community and region. The time for the merger has come.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his tenure up to the merger, Johnson led the campus through refining its mission, developing and implementing a strategic plan, completing a master plan for campus, and initiating a $100 million capital campaign. He spearheaded presidential initiatives to advance UToledo\u2019s mission as a metropolitan university, including a Commission on Diversity, Council on Outreach and Engagement, and Commission on the River.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Johnson was instrumental in shaping the UToledo we know today and for setting this University on our current path of positive momentum that has benefited countless students, graduates and members of our greater community,\u201d said Al Baker, chair of the UToledo Board of Trustees, who also previously served as a member of the MUO Board of Trustees during the merger process. He was the first trustee to complete his service after the 2006 merger when his term ended in 2007. \u201cOn behalf of the trustees and our entire University community, we thank Dr. Johnson for his service and express our sincere condolences to his loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft signed on March 31, 2006, House Bill 478 signing the merger legislation into law with UToledo President Dan Johnson and MUO President Lloyd Jacobs.<\/p><\/div>\n

Following his term as president, Johnson was named president emeritus and distinguished professor of public policy and economic development.<\/p>\n

In 2008, he was invited to serve as provost and chief operating officer of Zayed University in United Arab Emirates. He returned to UToledo in 2011 as director of global initiatives and worked to establish partnerships in Lebanon, South Africa, China, India and other nations until 2013.<\/p>\n

Prior to coming to Toledo, Johnson was provost of the University of Alaska Anchorage. His career also included administrative positions at University of North Texas in Denton, Texas; Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; Sangamon State University in Springfield, Ill.; and Blackburn College in Carlinville, Ill., as well as additional faculty positions at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan., and Christian College in Columbia, Mo.<\/p>\n

He is the author of numerous books, chapters, study reports and papers, including \u201cLeading Economic Development: A Toolbox for Public Officials and Civic Leaders\u201d published by University of Toledo Press in 2015.<\/p>\n

In his final letter to the campus community upon becoming president emeritus, Johnson described UToledo as \u201cpoised for greatness\u201d and wrote that it was time to aim higher to produce more graduates and more research funding and be a powerful force for economic development.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt historic times like this we are often tempted to look back to see how far we have come, to reminisce about the good things that have happened, and to congratulate ourselves on our progress,\u201d Johnson wrote. \u201cI would urge us not to yield to this temptation but rather spend our limited and valuable time looking ahead, setting high goals and charting a strategic course that will enable us to achieve these goals and our larger mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson is survived by his wife, Elaine Johnson, and two sons, Darin and Brent Johnson. Funeral arrangements are to be handled by Walker Funeral Home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daniel M. Johnson, who became president of The University of Toledo in 2001 and helped lead the 2006 merger with the Medical University of Ohio, died July 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,50,1,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60094"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60094"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60101,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60094\/revisions\/60101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}