Johnson

Michael Johnson, the Bradley H. Stone Dean of Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration (SHA), has been named provost at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Johnson will continue his work at SHA through the end of the academic year.

The announcement comes near the close of Johnson’s second and final five-year term as SHA’s sixth dean. Johnson is also the E.M. Statler Professor of Hotel Administration.

“On behalf of the Cornell community, I offer Michael heartfelt congratulations and sincere appreciation for his work as a strong and innovative leader for SHA,” said Provost Michael Kotlikoff. “Over the past decade, he helped strengthen SHA’s core hospitality research and education mission while expanding industry partnerships and increasing SHA’s position as a driver of entrepreneurship and business innovation. He will make a wonderful provost at Babson College, and we wish him all the best.”

During his tenure at Cornell, Johnson focused his efforts on investing in faculty, expanding students’ learning and career opportunities, increasing diversity, building an effective fundraising organization and growing the school’s global platform.

Johnson has hired more than 60 percent of SHA’s faculty and increased the diversity of the faculty, student body and staff. He has championed the expansion of academic programs, including the establishment and development of the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship. Johnson led the school’s capital campaign, raising $150 million for students, faculty and programs since 2006. He also played an instrumental role in developing Cornell’s strategic plan, including the Business at Cornell Consortium aimed at leveraging the collective impact of management education at Cornell.

In an announcement to the SHA community, Johnson said: “It has been an honor to lead the School of Hotel Administration for the past decade. This is a tremendous opportunity for me at an institution that shares the unique qualities of SHA, foremost among them a commitment to a student-focused environment. Just as SHA is the best school of its kind in hospitality, Babson College is the best institution of its kind in entrepreneurship education. My wife, Jill, and I are thrilled with the opportunity. But we will miss you all and thank you for your support, friendship and commitment during our time at Cornell.”