Touching Lives Beyond the Classroom
GAA presents Faculty Service Award to Jim Johnson for work helping communities
James H. “Jim” Johnson Jr. received the recruit Johnson from UCLA to Carolina. young men a way to release their energy
GAA’s Faculty Service Award for 2009 From the Urban Investment Strategies after coming home from low-wage jobs
for a resume that goes way beyond the Center position, Johnson has reached out to that often don’t challenge them. The league
classroom. North Carolina communities. also offers personal-growth seminars for the
The resume is impressive not only because “There are pressing social problems we men, and Johnson often stops by to offer
of what Johnson has accomplished, but should be addressing, and I had to do his own support. The league is in limbo
because of what he has helped others something,” Johnson said. “I’ve always now while funding is being raised to keep
achieve. believed I was put on this earth to make a the YMCA gym open those late hours.
Johnson is the William R. Kenan Jr. difference.” Another Johnson endeavor created a
Distinguished Professor of strate- venture-capital fund targeted
gy and entrepreneurship at at minority-owned businesses
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business in Durham. Johnson is taking
School and is director of the lessons he learned in
DAN SEARS ’ 74
Urban Investment Strategies Southeast Asia as an
Center at the Frank Hawkins Eisenhower Fellow — a fel-Kenan Institute of Private lowship that organizes and
Enterprise. funds networking between
The award, established in 1990 potential leaders in the U.S.
and given by the GAA Board of and those in other countries
Directors, honors faculty mem- — and using them here.
bers who have performed out- “I don’t know anyone who
standing service for the works harder as a scholar,”
University or the alumni associa- said Richard Krasno, head of
tion. Johnson, the GAA board the Kenan Charitable Trust
faculty representative for 2004- that supports the Kenan
05, received the award at the Institute and has funded
Faculty Service Award winner Jim Johnson, center, is congratulated by GAA Board of Directors
board’s quarterly dinner meeting Chair Randy Jones ’ 79, left, and GAA President Doug Dibbert ’ 70 in January. much of Johnson’s work. “He
in January. is one of the most thoughtful
Johnson — who studied geography and and compassionate scholars I know. His
earned his bachelor’s degree from N.C. work is disciplined and always with the
Central University, master’s from the thought of how to make this world a better
University of Wisconsin at Madison and place.”
doctorate from Michigan State University Next on the agenda is taking the idea of
— is interested in travel and the lay of the Durham Scholars and parlaying it into a
land, but the Falkland, N.C., native is not more permanent endeavor by creating a
looking for exotic locations. He’s interested kindergarten-through-eighth-grade labora-
in the run-down, often forgotten corners of tory school scheduled to open in July.
America. Johnson also is a co-author of a study on
After graduating from Michigan State, the economic impact of Hispanics in North
Johnson joined the faculty at UCLA, where Carolina, as well as involved in a similar
he taught geography and became increas- study concerning the state’s African-
ingly interested in Los Angeles’ inner city. Americans.
He concentrated much of his research on “He’s a rarity,” Kasarda said, “an institu-
inner-city problems, becoming such an tional entrepreneur — probably the best
expert that he was called on to testify in investment I’ve made in my life.”
death-penalty cases involving urban issues Other recent recipients of the Faculty
in California. Service Award include former law school
His expertise and drive garnered attention, dean and faculty chair Judith W. Wegner,
and UNC created the Urban Investment English professor George Lensing and busi-Strategies Center for him to run in 1992. ness professor Jack Evans. ■
“He’s one of our faculty rock stars,” said — Beth Mechum
Professor Jack Kasarda, who focuses on
strategy and entrepreneurship and is director of the Kenan Institute. He helped
Durham Scholars, a Johnson idea, is an
after-school program designed to help disadvantaged youth. Students from Durham
schools are paired with MBA mentors and
travel to the Kenan-Flagler Business School
four days a week after their regular middle
and high school hours are done. There they
are tutored and participate in supervised
homework sessions.
The program is meant to encourage the
students to graduate and go to college,
which many didn’t even realize was an
option. And it’s not just a change in academics that will get a student there; it’s a
change in lifestyle as well. For that reason,
classes such as anger management and sex
education are offered. The program hosts
monthly field trips, pizza parties for attendance awards and seminars for the students’
parents. Students who complete the
Scholars program are rewarded with a
$10,000 college scholarship.
Johnson also is concerned with the
dynamics of neighborhoods. He created a
midnight basketball league that runs from
midnight to 2 a.m. on weekdays, giving
ONLINE: A complete list of Faculty Service
Award winners is at
alumni.unc.edu/awards.
