An insider look at the face of Sinclair leadership

At any college, students are so caught up in the hustle of school life that they tend to be unaware of the decision makers who run the school. At Sinclair College, there are approximately 32,000 students across multiple campuses and many students who attend solely online. 

This means that with such a large and decentralized school population comes even more ambiguity regarding who is at the top. Students may feel their interests and concerns are, therefore, disregarded. 

Dr. Steven Johnson, president of Sinclair College, took time out of his hectic schedule to discuss how Sinclair focuses on students’ collective and individual success.

Johnson was born a 13th-generation farmer. From a young age, he knew that while he loved his heritage and appreciated an honest day’s work, he had a higher calling to academia. 

Johnson remarked that while he thought he might end up in marketing, he ended up falling in love with colleges and universities and the business therein. He has an expressed interest in ensuring that student voices and opinions are heard.

“We have roughly 300 tenured faculty plus another 100 adjunct faculty hearing student voices daily. There is also a regular survey that we do, and then there is another facet we have. This might sound kind of negative, but it is necessary and serves a good purpose, which is the student complaint system. Additionally are the focus groups that we regularly hold,” Johnson said.

For many colleges and universities, students come together under a common identity. This is in part because of school mascots, teams and prestige. However, at a community college as big and spread out as Sinclair, many students feel that a common identity is not formed. 

Johnson spoke on Sinclair’s continued efforts to form a common identity for students to rally behind. 

“One of the parts of our identity as Tartans is that we don’t just exist in a community. We don’t just live in this ivory tower.  We are part of the fabric in Dayton, and if you’re a student here, you cannot escape that. So, that common identity is really about helping each other out. Another common identity of Sinclair is that we actually try to be nice, honest, ethical, and decent people. We’re all in this together, and things are going pretty well in the Dayton region,” Johnson said.

In Johnson’s long career, he worked in multiple states for various colleges before finding his home with the Tartans. Johnson has been president of Sinclair for over 20 years and in that time, he has seen drastic changes in education implementation. 

Primarily in the digital aspect, technological revolutions have changed how students can learn and obtain higher education. Some students get their degrees having never stepped foot on campus.

Digital media has also changed how students and the wider public consume information. Along with his doctorate and master’s degree in business and marketing, Johnson also studied journalism during his undergraduate years. 

As a news outlet ran by student journalists, the Clarion has an expressed interest in Johnson’s opinions of the changing field of journalism.

“It’s instantaneous. Now there’s not a lot of barriers to entry, anyone get into it. You don’t have to be working for big printing presses anymore with lots of ink. You can just get on your phone and you can be a journalist, which means that there’s a lot of junk out there but there’s a lot of good stuff out there too,” Johnson said.

Johnson also stated that in this voluminous age of news and information, media sites are tempted to be biased or baiting for the sake of viewership. He warned against these pitfalls and elaborated that the news has a responsibility to be credible and reliable. 

The impact of the Clarion reaches further than just students. Johnson voiced his opinions about the Clarion’s impact.

“It’s a great information source, even for me. I learned things about Sinclair, and it’s so funny because, I already know, and have a lot to do behind the behind the scenes of this stuff. So I should know more, but it’s so great because I learned things I didn’t even know about the stuff I helped with,” Johnson said.

One subject Johnson was eager to talk about was Sinclair’s Registered Nursing (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. A new and exciting addition to Sinclair’s repertoire, it is one of the first bachelor programs to be introduced at the school. 

Johnson spoke of more forward-facing goals that Sinclair is actively working towards. From bringing in more four-year programs to introducing completely new courses for the varied interests of students. 

“We have five [bachelor’s programs] that are done and four of them already have students enrolled. The fifth will be available for enrollment here shortly. Then there are another couple that are starting through the process in cloud computing and then in applied programming,” Johnson said. 

Sinclair and its leaders are always looking for new and innovative ways to help students succeed in their endeavors. Attitude reflects leadership and the helpful and encouraging attitudes that show in every Sinclair faculty member begin at the top. 

With the various means of outreach that Sinclair does with the student population, success is dependent on the will and ambition of the individual. 

It can be hard to realize that these professionals in suits that run the school were once unsure students themselves. Johnson spoke on his trouble with indecision and whether to leave his family farm and what major to pursue. From this he has acquired a wealth of experience and advice to offer students. 

“Learn as much as you can about everything. I think reading is really important… and talk to as many people as you can about whatever interests you. Have a continued curiosity and just experience as much as you can. Volunteer work, good work, work with the Clarion, work with student activities, just anything and everything.  And keep your eyes open, your ears open, your heart open and your brain open,” Johnson said.

As graduating students leave and new students join with each passing semester, tartans can be assured that their faculty and leaders hear their concerns and listen to their needs. 

Noah Schlarman, executive editor.

Check out more post by the Clarion:

• An insider look at the face of Sinclair leadership
• Sinclair College Hosts the Sankofa Celebration to Honor Graduating Students of Color
• Clarion Book Reviews: ‘A Study in Scarlet’ A classic mystery with timeless appeal.
• Sinclair Continues Campus Improvements with Building 8 Plaza Renovations
• From Book to Buggy: The Mechanical Engineering Capstone Project