News & Announcements

AU SABLE INSTITUTE NAMES NEW PRESIDENT
08/13/07

Dr. Ed Johnson has been named the next President of the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, effective September 3, 2007.

Board Chairman Robert Van Stright announced the appointment following a unanimous vote by the Institute’s Board of Trustees.  “On behalf of the Board, I welcome Dr. Johnson to the Institute as our President,” said Van Stright. “Ed has a superb background in higher education and public policy analysis.  His love for Creation Care is evident and he is a great fit for the Institute.”

“I am honored for this opportunity to serve the Lord through the Institute’s academic partnerships and its continuing public advocacy roles,” stated Dr. Johnson.  “The Board, its staff and its faculty partners are excited about the emerging opportunities for expanding the Institute’s services as we enter the ‘Golden Age’ of Creation Care awareness and action.  The Institute has been the scientific center of Creation Care and global warming analysis for nearly thirty years.  I am excited that the Board is committed to maintaining and expanding these historical roles.”

Dr. Johnson comes to the Institute from the Presidency of the University of the New West in Phoenix, Arizona.  UNW, a new undergraduate liberal arts institution to be built on sustainability and servant leadership principles and programs, is targeted to begin operations in 2008.   Prior to assuming this leadership position, Dr. Johnson served as President of Sterling College (KS), a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, from 1997-2003.

Johnson previously served as Executive Director of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education and Assistant to the Executive Director of the Arizona Board of Regents.

His career accomplishments include:

-creation of the nation’s first Law, Science and Technology Center at Arizona State University’s College of Law

-creation of the nation’s first undergraduate program in Social Entrepreneurship at Sterling College

-creation of the first international leadership degree program for Habitat for Humanity International, and

-creation of the nation’s first state-level public policy center for ethnic minority student achievement from kindergarten through college.

Ed currently serves on the board of Second Nature, the coordinator of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.  This groundbreaking initiative is currently facilitating efforts among 325+ colleges and universities to move towards climate neutrality in their operations, to educate graduates about the principles and practices of sustainability and to expand research focused on global warming.  The initiative’s goal is 1,000 colleges and universities by 2009.

Dr. Johnson obtained his undergraduate degree from Morningside College (IA), his law degree from Creighton University and his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Arizona State University.

He and his wife, Dr. April Osborn, have two children, Rex, a law student at Washburn University and Ale, a freshman at Arizona State University.

About the Au Sable Institute

Au Sable became an Institute in 1978 to integrate the knowledge of creation with biblical principles for the purpose of bringing the Christian community and the general public to a better understanding of the Creator and the stewardship of God’s creation.  The founding director of the Institute was Dr. Cal DeWitt, President Emeritus.

Au Sable conducts academic programs for college and university students, research projects, public policy analysis and fora, environmental education for elementary and secondary students, and environmental information services for faith-based institutions.  The Administration office is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Great Lakes campus is located in Michigan’s northwoods near Mancelona; the Pacific Rim campus is in the Puget Sound on Whidbey Island, Washington; Au Sable-South Florida is at ECHO near North Fort Myers, Florida; Au Sable-India is located at Bishop Heber College in Tiruchirapalli, in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India.  Since its inception, the Institute has engaged on its campuses over 3,500 students and faculty from more than 60 college and university campuses. 

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