Chief Advocate for Student Life

For two decades, Will Johnson, PhD, has served up student success at Fairfield.

Ask any Fairfield student who’s ever grabbed lunch at The Tully Dining Commons, and they’ll tell you: when Associate Vice President and Dean of Students William H. Johnson, PhD, walks into the dining hall, the energy changes. Equal parts mentor, cheerleader, and problem-solver, Dean Johnson has spent 20 years shaping the campus life experience at Fairfield—one conversation, one pot of chili, and one student success story at a time.

The dean of students role could best be described as chief advocate for student life beyond the classroom. As such, Dean Johnson is best known for fostering a campus environment in which students feel supported, heard, and equipped to thrive.

Dean Johnson worked in higher education for six years before joining the Fairfield Admission team as associate director of admission for diversity in 2005. Back then, the Office of Admission was in Bellarmine Hall. “I was in awe,” he said of his first day on the job. “Looking up at that building, I had one of those ‘I made it’ moments.”

A lot has changed at Fairfield over the past two decades. “When I started here, we were still receiving mailed applications, written in pen on paper,” he noted. As technologies advanced, applications began arriving in greater numbers from more far-flung places. Dean Johnson moved to the Office of Student Life and witnessed firsthand how the growing student body readily adapted to meet new challenges.

“Students are affected by the changing world around them,” he said. “They’ve always been bright, talented, and promising, but now they bring an increased level of sophistication—a sign of the day and age in which they have been raised.”

The dean of students has had a front-row seat to the surge of co-curricular expansion at Fairfield in recent years. As research programs elevate the educational experience, dozens of new clubs, honor societies, and organizations encourage students to explore their passions. “Students continue to take advantage of the University’s emphasis on creativity, innovation, and making this place feel like home,” said Dean Johnson.

Performing for Change, a student group that used poetry and performance to communicate social injustices, was a particularly memorable new club addition in 2008. “They brought theatre to campus that was very much tied to our mission,” he said.

New ideas have turned into beloved annual traditions during Dean Johnson’s two decades on campus. “The Presidential Ball began right around the time I started at Fairfield,” he recalled. Now a staple of the fall semester, Pres Ball invites students to kick off the academic year and dance the night away on Bellarmine Lawn.

As student life has evolved, so too has the physical campus. “I don’t think we’ve stopped growing, both in terms of physical space and enrollment,” said Dean Johnson, listing the new residence halls, townhouses, and state-of-the-art business school and nursing and health studies buildings as just a few additions since his arrival in 2005.

Asked about highlights of his Fairfield career, Dean Johnson cited the 2007 launch of Academic Immersion, a four-week, high-intensity summer program designed to assist students with the transition to college, followed by academic and social programs during the school year that focus on student success and retention. “I’m really proud of the legacy that program has created here at Fairfield,” he said. “It’s a gateway for the campus community to welcome a wider range of students. My hope is that we continue to find ways to provide educational opportunities to people from all different backgrounds.”

While the Academic Immersion program has become a hallmark of his tenure, sharing his favorite chili recipe with students via email on the eve of a 2022 snowstorm established the dean’s culinary reputation on campus. Student cooks began posting photos on social media when they made Dean Johnson’s Famous Snow Day Chili—even a group studying abroad in Madrid joined in the fun. Last winter, the dean whipped up a batch of his signature chili at an in-person cooking demonstration with students in The Tully.

“The Fairfield University experience is grounded in relationships,” Dean Johnson affirmed. “Even in today’s digital age, I would still rather go to The Tully, meet with students in person, attend athletics and club events, and seek those in-person relationships.”

Johnson’s leadership style is rooted in compassion and accompaniment. “No two people who sit in this seat will approach the job the same way—you have to make the role your own,” he said. “I walk with students on their college journey and accompany them even in their hardest moments—especially in those moments. Even the students I have to discipline: I want them to know that I have their best interests in mind. That is the hallmark of my work here.”

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