Royel M. Johnson, PhD
Associate Professor of Higher Education
Co-Chair, Rossier School of Education PhD Program
University of Southern California
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
Tau Chapter, Fall 2008
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Royel M. Johnson is Associate Professor of Higher Education with tenure in the USC Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. He is also the inaugural Director of Student Engagement in the USC Race and Equity Center and a faculty affiliate in the Pullias Center for Higher Education. Prior to joining USC, he was on the faculty at Penn State, where he was the inaugural Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education.
Dr. Johnson is a nationally recognized expert on issues of educational access, racial equity, and student success. His work has an unapologetic focus on Black and multiply marginalized populations like those impacted by the criminal punishment, child welfare and inequitable educational systems. He has more than 60 academic publications, including peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Higher Education, Peabody Journal of Education, Teachers College Record and Journal of College Student Development. He has also written research and policy briefs for organizations like the National Education Policy Center.
In 2022, Dr. Johnson published two books: Racial Equity on College Campuses: Connecting Research and Practice (with Drs. Uju Anya and Liliana Garces) and Enacting Student Success: Critical and Alternative Perspectives for Practice (with Dr. Leonard Taylor). His work has been supported by grants and contracts from the Spencer Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, and Department of Health and Human Services, totaling over $5.1 million.
Dr. Johnson is deeply committed to translational research that informs policy and practice. He has delivered over 100 invited talks and regularly consults with campuses and national organizations. In 2020, Pennsylvania legislators sought his consultation on HB2952, which aims to ban the use of criminal record screening on college applications. He is Co-Director of the EdEquity Research-to-Policy Collaborative with Dr. Francesca Lopez (Penn State)—a rapid response network designed to increase the use of research by critically conscious education scholars in policy making. Dr. Johnson is also Co-PI of a $1.53 million project funded by IES, The Research Institute for Scholars of Equity (RISE), which is a training program that provides undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds experiences in conducting mixed-methods education research and prepares them for doctoral study.
In recognition of Dr. Johnson’s career achievements, he was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Young Alumni Award from the University of Illinois. He has also received the 2020 Emerging Scholar Award and 2022 Outstanding Contribution to Multicultural Education and Research Award from ACPA—College Educators International. In recognition of his “exemplary leadership” in Penn State’s College of Education, he was awarded the 2021 Cotterill Leadership Enhancement Award.
Dr. Johnson is a two-time graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a BA in Political Science and an EdM in Educational Policy Studies. He earned his PhD in higher education and student affairs, with a cognate in race and social policy, from The Ohio State University.
