September 17, 2018
The Office of the Provost
Senior Vice Provost Simon G. Møller, Ph.D., has agreed to serve as the Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs following the decision by Robert A. Mangione '99Ed.D., who served as Provost from 2012 to 2018, to return to faculty. Dr. Møller joined St. John's in 2011 as a tenured Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. He was appointed to the role of Senior Vice Provost in 2014. Since 2001, Dr. Møller has been invited to be a plenary speaker or keynote speaker at over 40 conferences on topics related to his field. He has chaired or organized several conferences in the area of biological sciences. Dr. Møller is also an elected member of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Technology and has had numerous advisory board and board member positions within the biotechnology industry sector.
The School of Education
Yvonne Pratt-Johnson, Ed.D., has served as Interim Dean of The School of Education since June 1. Prior to becoming Interim Dean, she served as Professor of Education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and Chair of the Department of Education Specialties. Dr. Pratt-Johnson began her full-time faculty career at St. John's in the fall of 2004. She is internationally recognized as an outstanding teacher, researcher, and scholar, and an experienced and accomplished leader. Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Pratt-Johnson has presented conference papers and conducted workshops on five continents; published articles in numerous national and international education journals; contributed chapters to books; and received major academic awards and honors. Her four Fulbright-Hays Awards have enabled her to take groups of New York City school teachers to Vietnam (2011, 2013) and to India (2015, 2017), both of which are points of origin for large and growing contingents of New York City public school students.
The Department of Athletics
On September 27, the University announced that Mike Cragg has been selected to lead the Red Storm Athletic Department. Mr. Cragg becomes St. John's seventh Athletic Director following a distinguished tenure at Duke University that spanned more than three decades. A key component of Mr. Cragg's role at Duke included fundraising, as he helped create the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund. Since its implementation in 2000, the fund has raised more than $115 million to help support the Blue Devils basketball program. He was also instrumental in developing the program's naming gift endowment program that has received more than $25 million in donations. As part of his leadership role at St. John’s, Mr. Cragg will serve on the President's Advisory Council. “We are excited to welcome Mike Cragg to St. John's University," said Dr. Gempesaw. “His vision for St. John's Athletics, coupled with his tremendous experience and commitment to excellence, will undoubtedly benefit our student-athletes as we collectively work to ensure their success on and off the field of play."
Look for more information about Mike Cragg in the next issue of The President’s Newsletter.