By: Autumn Klein
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – This week, the University of Arkansas Alumni Association welcomes the 2023 recipients of the Johnson Fellowship.
THE HISTORY
The Johnson Fellows program began in 2009 through an endowment from Dr. Jeff Johnson and his wife, Marcia. Dr. Jeff Johnson said that he decided to start the program because he wanted a way for successful alumni to be able to connect with the student population.
“As president of the Alumni Association I noticed when esteemed alumni came back to campus they just interacted with faculty and administration and rarely gave talks in big settings to students, so I wanted to do something that had a little more one-on-one or small groups with alumni,” he said.
Dr. Johnson graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1970, with a degree in Zoology. During his college years, he was involved with Associated Student Government, and his fraternity, Sigma Chi. He knows very well what being a college student is like, and said he wanted to help students build connections, while also showing them that success is not a one-way route. He said he wanted students to see success from the same place they are coming from, and see that is not a straight path for anyone, but that it is possible. He said most importantly he wanted these success stories to be heard.
“It’s not so much about the end result, it’s about their path – or journey, if you will – to get there,” he said.
THE PROCESS
Dr. Johnson said that the fellows are nominated; they do not apply. Nominations come from all kinds of places – academic colleges, community members, alumni staff, people across the state, etc. Dr. Johnson said that he did not want to be the one to choose the fellow every year, so he put together a committee. When they receive the nominations, they go down the list, and each committee member talks about who they think would make a good fellow, and then they narrow it down to one.
“It’s simple,” he said, “but everyone has a say.” Dr. Johnson said that while everyone states their opinions, the group almost always comes to a full consensus on who to select.
Once the recipient is decided, the committee contacts them to arrange their visit to campus. Dr. Johnson said that he was at first worried that the type of people they were seeking out would not have the time to come back to campus, but not once has a recipient said no.
The Johnson Fellows come to visit campus for about three days every year around March or April – all varying on the recipient’s schedule. Some activities they usually partake in during their visit are dinner with the Chancellor, speaking with students in a classroom setting and throwing the first pitch at the baseball game.
FORMER RECIPIENTS
After over a decade of Johnson Fellows, there has been a wide variety on the types of recipients selected. All of these recipients have different stories and different versions of success; however, they all have one thing in common: their pride and appreciation in being a Johnson Fellow.
John Register graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1988 with a BA in Communications. During his time at the University, he was quite a track star. He was a four-time All-American in long jump, hurdles and relay teams. In the same year he graduated, he qualified for the Olympic trials in the 110m hurdles, and then in 1992 he qualified again for the 400m hurdles. He was well on his way to compete on the 1996 Olympic Team; however, in 1994 his life was changed forever. A bad landing ultimately resulted in the amputation of Register’s left leg. He was restricted to a wheelchair, but was able to walk after awhile with the help of a prosthetic leg. During his recovery, he began swimming. Through hard work and perseverance, Register was able to compete as a swimmer on the 1996 Paralympic Team – with only 18 months of training. Register then began training and learning to work with just one leg. He got fitted for a running prosthesis and competed again in the 2000 Paralympic Games winning the Silver medal and setting the American long jump record in the process. He made history. John also served in the U.S. Army for six years, among many other incredible things, like working for the United States Olympic Committee.
Today John Register is an inspirational speaker and the author of a book. He was selected as the Johnson Fellow in 2014. He said that being a Johnson Fellow meant a lot to him, and helped get him to where he is today. He said being a Johnson Fellow allowed him to share his story for the first time.
“Being a Johnson Fellow was really quite an amazing experience for me… I got a chance to tell my story over and over again in this new context, which really gave me the foundation of what I am doing now,” he said.
Dr. Amber Straughn grew up in Bee Branch, Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.S. in physics in 2002. After completion of her Bachelor’s degree, she attended Arizona State where she received her Ph.D. in physics. Dr. Straughn joined the Laboratory for Observational Cosmology as a civil servant in 2011. Today Dr. Straughn works as an Astrophysicist for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. She served as the deputy project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope Science Communications, as well as the associate director of the Astrophysics Science Division. According to NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope is the “largest, most complex and powerful space telescope ever built.” It was launched into space in 2021, and now it helps assist with space research and capturing images from space. Dr. Straughn was selected as the 2022 Johnson Fellow. During her visit as the Johnson Fellow, she presented a campus-wide lecture where she presented her research to the University of Arkansas campus.
“The University of Arkansas was my springboard to becoming an astrophysicist and it was wonderful to be able to visit campus and interact with students and faculty. This is such an important Fellowship, and receiving it has strengthened my already-strong ties to UA,” she said.
John Register and Amber Straughn are only two of the many incredible recipients of the Johnson Fellowship.
THE IMPACT
Dr. Jeff Johnson said that out of all the things he and his wife Marcia have been involved in, the Johnson Fellowship is their favorite. He said that they have connected with students, faculty, and alumni like they are family. He said that they have been able to connect with so many different kinds of people in a number of different ways. Dr. Johnson said that by having such a variety of different Fellows in different positions, it allows for them to reach many different types of students who are interested in different occupations.
Dr. Johnson said that while their Fellows are extremely diverse, they have never used being from a diverse background as criteria to select a recipient.
“Our nominee list – successful graduates of the University – who have a story to tell and are willing to tell that story… they are diverse. We are choosing from a diverse group,” he said. Dr. Johnson said that he wanted to have many different voices be heard.
Recipients like John Register, a Black paraplegic, can attest to that. Register said that being a Johnson Fellow actually allowed for him to connect with other people like him in the campus and Fayetteville communities.
As a part of being a Johnson Fellow, Register was able to do a program with Black and African American athletes and campus community members. “It’s really important for us to all have this connected experience and the Johnson Fellowship really allowed me to have these conversations around the campus. I think it really helped to foster more connectivity for all of us,” he said.
This year – for the first time ever – there are two Johnson Fellows. The 2023 Johnson Fellows are brothers Gerald Alley and Troy C. Alley Jr. The Alley brothers created the construction company and real estate business known as Con-Real LP. Based in Arlington, and with locations in Houston and Dallas, Con-Real is currently the leading African-American owned construction and real estate firm in Texas. The brothers will be visiting campus this week through April 6. Throughout their visit, they will be meeting with students to share their experiences and their stories. For more information about this years Fellows, you can visit the Arkansas Alumni website.