Charles R. "Chuck" Johnson was appointed the 22nd President of Vincennes University
in 2015, after previously serving as Interim President for four months. Johnson came
to VU as Provost/Vice President for Instructional Services/Dean of Faculty and served
in that capacity for three years.
While at VU, Johnson has overseen the development and growth of work-based learning
partnerships with industry, including the Toyota Advanced Maintenance Technician program
in Southwest Indiana, the Advanced Internship in Manufacturing in Lafayette, the Career
Advancement Partnership in Dubois County, the Machinist Internship Program, and the
Cummins Technical Apprenticeship program. Johnson has also been extensively involved
in the expansion of VU’s Early College program, including the development of Career
and Technical Education Early Colleges with Career Centers and Cooperatives across
Indiana, reaching thousands of Hoosier students.
Passionate about student success, Johnson has overseen VU’s efforts to improve student
retention, such as the creation of the Student Success Center, the development and
implementation of a co-requisite remedial education program, and the redesign of learning
support services, including university-wide tutoring resources. He has also led VU’s
efforts to enhance international partnerships, including the establishment of several
cooperative agreements and exchanges with schools and colleges in China and Japan.
Prior to joining VU, Johnson spent over 14 years at Purdue University, West Lafayette,
where he served in a variety of program director roles in the Krannert School of Management,
overseeing internationally-ranked full-time, part-time, and Executive MBA, and master
of science programs as well as Krannert’s executive education non-degree programs.
His experience also includes consulting for the American University of the Middle
East in Kuwait, which opened its doors in 2008. Before Purdue, Johnson was Manager
of Training and Development for National City Bank, Northwest (now part of PNC), and
held several positions in academic and student affairs at Bowling Green State University
in Ohio.
Johnson was appointed in 2017 by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to serve as a Commissioner
for the Midwest Higher Education Compact. He is actively engaged in workforce development
efforts with leading manufacturing-focused organizations, including as a member of
The Manufacturing Institute’s Education Council and the Education and Workforce Committee
of Lightweight Innovation for Tomorrow (LIFT), as well as being a representative to
the Indiana Automotive Council. He serves on the boards of the Regional Opportunity
Initiatives, Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation, Red Skelton Museum Foundation, Knox
County Development Corporation, and Vincennes University Foundation.
A native of Washington, Indiana, Johnson earned a Ph.D. at Purdue University, an MBA
from Bowling Green, and a B.S. in Economics from Indiana State University. He and
his wife, Sarah (VU ’80), are the proud parents of two daughters.
