Kansas State University

Johnson receives prestigious award at Institute on Teaching and Mentoring

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

Rana Johnson, middle, along with Ansley Abraham, left, director of the Southern Regional Education Board, or SREB, state doctoral scholars program and Bob Belle, right, SREB senior consultant. Photo courtesy of Charles West/CW Studios.

Rana Johnson, vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, was honored with the Frank Abbott Award at the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring conference in New Orleans.

The Frank Abbott Award recognizes an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the institute. It is the institute’s most prestigious recognition, and Johnson is only the 11th recipient in its 31-year history. The last award was given in 2018.

"I am honored and humbled to receive the 2024 Dr. Frank Abbott Award," Johnson said. "Being considered among the distinguished and extraordinary leaders across the nation holds special meaning to me. I acknowledge and honor the remarkable individuals on whose shoulders I stand.

“As a first-generation college graduate and woman of color, my work is profoundly personal," Johnson continued. "Higher education is transformative, capable of altering the trajectories of students' lives, families and future generations. This recognition emphasizes the importance of cultivating future faculty members as servant leaders to address the changing demographics of colleges and universities nationwide."

Since earning her degree from the University of Kentucky in 2001, Johnson has been a dedicated volunteer, recruiter, presenter and, most recently, a member of the Southern Regional Education Board Advisory Committee. She has personally sponsored numerous student attendees at the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring and has attended every institute gathering since its inception.

“This award is a testament to the profound impact Dr. Johnson has had throughout her career,” President Richard Linton said. “She has been instrumental in recruiting and retaining faculty and staff from many different backgrounds and has been a driving force in fostering a culture of inclusion where every individual at our university feels valued and empowered to thrive.”

The Frank Abbott Award is named in honor of Frank Abbott, the first director of the Compact for Faculty Diversity, which established the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. The institute is a four-day conference that has become the largest gathering of historically underrepresented doctoral scholars in the country.