Rosemary Erickson Johnsen, Ph.D., was selected to lead the Business, Arts, and Education Division at the University of Minnesota Crookston. She replaces Mark Huglen, Ph.D., who has been serving as acting head of the Division of Business, Arts, and Education since August 2021. Pending faculty and Board approval, Erickson Johnsen joins the Division at the rank of tenured full professor. She will begin her duties on July 1, 2022.
“Everyone has been so welcoming, and I’m delighted to be joining UMN Crookston,” stated Erickson Johnsen. “I’m drawn to the university’s land-grant mission, unique identity, and its size. Throughout the search process, the people I’ve met have confirmed my sense that UMN Crookston fosters broad collaboration within and across units. As incoming Division Head of Business, Arts, and Education, I look forward to advancing the Division’s goals and advocating for BAE programs and people, on campus and externally.”
The division head is responsible for the overall operations of the Business Department and the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education (HSSE) Department. The role includes additional responsibilities for the Business Department, the Early Childhood Development Center, and the University’s dual-enrollment programs, which serve approximately 900 students annually.
“While we use the division head title, the role is that of an academic dean with responsibilities for multiple departments, including oversight of faculty and staff, budgets, and program development and implementation,” said John Hoffman, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs. “The division head is expected to provide comprehensive instructional leadership to advance UMN Crookston academic offerings in the region in areas ranging from finance, management, and marketing to education to communications and criminal justice. Dr. Johnsen brings extensive experience and innovative approaches to higher education that center student success and expand educational offerings to meet workforce needs.”
Erickson Johnsen has most recently served as associate provost and associate vice president of academic affairs for Governors State University in University Park, Ill. She has been in that role since 2018. In addition, she has served as the interim dean for the University Library at Governors State University since 2020.
Prior to her most recent appointments, Erickson Johnsen served as the study abroad co-director of International Studies and Programs at Michigan State University from 2001-13. Additionally, she has extensive experience in the classroom. Erickson Johnsen has been a professor of English at Governors State since 2015 and was an associate professor from 2009-15 and an assistant professor from 2006-09. She also worked as an affiliated faculty for Gender and Sexuality Studies. Erickson Johnsen was a visiting assistant professor in the Department of English at Michigan State from 2000-01, and again in 2006. She was also a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures at Michigan State in 2005. Erickson Johnsen also served as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of English at Grand Valley State University from 2001-04.
Erickson Johnsen earned her Ph.D. in English Literature from Michigan State in 1997 with a dissertation entitled “Britain at its Worst”: The Fictional Milieu of Patrick Hamilton. She received her M.A. in English from Michigan State in 1990 and her B.A. in English from Michigan State in 1987.
