Kristie Johnson is one of Bellarmine's 2020 Great Graduates. She found the Leadership in Higher Education Ph.D. program fulfilled her academic interests while providing the flexibility and support needed to complete it as a working professional.
Kristie Johnson loved her experience in Bellarmine鈥檚 Leadership in Higher Education Ph.D. program so much that she only missed one class, and for that, she had a pretty good excuse:
She鈥檇 just had a baby.
Kristie was in the inaugural class of the program, which focuses on leadership, social
justice and research. She progressed through it while becoming a new mother and holding
a fulltime job as director of grants management at Marian University in Indianapolis.
Kristie said Bellarmine鈥檚 doctoral program fulfilled her academic interests while
providing the flexibility and support to complete it as a working professional.
鈥淚t is really a wonderful program,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 innovative in its approach to
leadership, and I really enjoyed just how intentional, accommodating and accessible
the professors were.鈥�
Classes for the 60-credit-hour program are held on Friday evenings and Saturdays.
Students meet six weekends each semester. Primary coursework is completed in three
years, with the dissertation typically completed in the fourth year.
Kristie drove two hours from her home in Indianapolis to Bellarmine every other weekend.
She spent her commute listening to audio textbooks and lectures and processing her
thoughts and ideas.
She said she grew particularly close to two other African-American women in the program.
鈥淲e formed what we affectionately call the sister circle,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e hold each
other accountable, share words of encouragement and pray for each other.鈥�
Before landing her current position, Kristie earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in Asian
studies from Florida State University and her master鈥檚 in international development
and social change from Clark University in Massachusetts. She served as
a Peace Corps volunteer and Fulbright Scholar in China.
She knew she wanted to earn her doctorate and was particularly attracted to the Bellarmine
program鈥檚 focus on social change.
Her dissertation, which she plans to publish as a book, focuses on foreign-born university presidents. Her own family is Jamaican, and when she conceived of the research topic, immigration was a heated issue in the national media.
"I thought, 鈥榃hat about these individuals who have ascended the ladder of leadership
from being an international student or a foreign-born faculty member? What are their
experiences?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淭hat led me to my research topic
of looking at how they pull on their culture, how their cultural background has prepared
them to lead and influenced their leadership.鈥�
Kristie hopes to use her doctorate at Marian for developing graduate programs.
It wasn鈥檛 always easy, but looking back, she said, being a Ph.D. student at Bellarmine has been a time of personal growth and fulfillment.
鈥淭here have been times when I thought, 鈥榃hat am I doing? This is so hard,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淥ther times I have so much joy, and I look at it as a blessing. Also, I want to be a role model for my son to say, 鈥楳ommy can do this.鈥� It鈥檚 hard, and there were dark days, but we were able to get through it.鈥�
At a Glance
Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Major: Ph.D. in Leadership in Higher Education
Activities: Kappa Delta Pi - Education Honor Society
Work experience: Director of Grants Management, Marian University, Indianapolis.
Why Bellarmine? The Ph.D. in Leadership in Higher Education program was innovative in its approach to incorporating social justice and social change throughout the curriculum.
How would you describe your Bellarmine experience? A transformational experience that expanded my understanding of the field of higher education. It also resulted in a deeper understanding of self and our responsibility to civil society, as well as the opportunity to develop lifelong friendships.
Who has made the difference along the way? Dr. Fred Rhodes was instrumental in introducing me to the program and sharing his inspirational vision; Dr. Grant Smith challenged me to think like a scholar and to ask probing questions; Dr. Elizabeth Dinkins introduced me to qualitative research and reminded me of our responsibility as researchers; and Dr. Donald 鈥淒J鈥� Mitchell Jr. demanded excellence throughout the dissertation journey and provided invaluable mentoring opportunities.
What advice would you give to incoming students? Find your passion and know your 鈥渨hy,鈥� as it will sustain you and surround yourself with people who treat you with dignity and respect.
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