After a year of trial and error through temporary campus leadership upon Paul Vita, former dean, leaving after many years of leading the university, dawn broke on a new era at SLU-Madrid. As of Oct. 1, 2024, SLU-Madrid has attained a new rector.
An avid lover of espresso, red wine, and traveling, Bill Johnson knows there is a lot of work ahead of him not just at SLU-Madrid, but at American universities as a whole.
“The American institution [as a concept], is inherently flawed,” says Johnson. “[It’s inherently flawed] because it’s rippled with injustice. It has a history in America of racism. Of misogyny. Of misogynoir. And other forms of oppression.”
How the journey began
A native of Staples, Minnesota, in the United States, the rector’s journey from the family farm to the bustling city of Madrid has been anything but short. His story as a practicing lawyer began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for six years before fulfilling his “secret dream” of becoming a professor at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
“The university was very good to me,” says Johnson. “And I had four good years there. But living in North Dakota was not the best fit for my family and for me, given our interests in international travel and sort of the richness, culturally, that a large city offers.”
Having landed in St. Louis, Missouri, as his next destination on his journey to Madrid, Johnson discovered his place and love of SLU’s campus, but more importantly, its mission. After discussing with law schools across the United States, Johnson joined SLU’s Missouri campus as a professor, eventually becoming the director of the law program.
“I believe in the power and the potential of an unfulfilled mission. Because there continues to be injustice in the world. And our mission is to seek justice,” says Johnson.
What makes SLU-Madrid special, according to Johnson
Aside from the bustling Madrid city experience, Johnson has felt drawn toward SLU-Madrid’s campus for its truly unique blend of students from over 65 countries around the world. When asked about his first impressions of the campus, Johnson describes it as “quirky, but in a good way.”
“It’s really a rare combination of things that make it truly remarkable in a special place. So I was struck by the beauty of the campus, a combination of the historic buildings, the vegetation, the courtyard space. I was struck by the joy of the community,” says Johnson.
As with many things in life, Johnson knows that no place is truly perfect, and neither Madrid nor SLU is an exception to that. The joy, in particular, has heavily influenced his perception of the city and campus. He has noticed over the past decade that SLU-Madrid provides the students and community with “so much positive” and “so much good,” giving him a strong sense of joy.
Looking forward
Although Johnson is currently learning the ropes about SLU-Madrid’s intricacies and shortcomings, such as the lack of space and a growing divide between permanent and visiting students, these challenges don’t intimidate him. Instead, they’re one of his main sources of motivation for his time at SLU-Madrid.
“I don’t think I should be in this role if I’m not going to commit myself every day to the hard work of being in the struggle to seek justice,” says Johnson. “I know that I have the ability to effect change and to leverage my position. I want to use all that privilege to seek good things, to spread love, to spread compassion, to spread joy, while also being conscious of the pain in the world.”
If there’s anything Johnson wants to emphasize about his goals and work at SLU-Madrid, it’s his commitment to embracing the difficulties and harsh realities that may arise during his time as rector.
“I think there is a range of levels of commitment to justice. And I want to lean into the hard work. I think that’s critically important work,” says Johnson. “I want to be held accountable for that. I don’t fear that. I don’t fear the voices of students who want to demand that I do better. That makes us all better, in my view.”
