Have you met Janice, Assistant Dean of Students (Residence)? Spend the next two minutes getting to know her a little better.
Where is your favorite place on campus?
My favourite place on campus is the Quad, where the new statues are — the Sweetgrass Bear and the new statues. I love walking through there. It’s very humbling, and very beautiful.
Tablet or paper?
Actually, I prefer a Chrome Book — I’ve given up paper, but I need a physical keyboard.
Name one thing you’ve brought to work from home.
Artwork. I have to have art around me.
What is the one thing you can’t live without?
Beauty. I need beauty in my surroundings (thus the artwork).
If you won airfare to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I’d go to the far north. I’d probably land in Fort Simpson, and then explore from there. I’ve always wanted to see it, and haven’t had the chance.
You know when you’re driving to Jasper, and you see that exit for the scenic route to Alaska? The desire to take that exit is huge.
You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?
JS Bach. We listen to lots of music at home — my partner is a musician, so there’s always music around. And I think Bach is such an interesting character. I feel like sitting down and having a beer with him would be awesome.
If you could switch jobs with someone else on campus for a week, what would you do?
I’d love to get into one of the engineering labs, and play with some of their really big testing equipment, and experiment.
What does “uplifting the whole people” mean to you?
I think it means being conscious of our impact, and our responsibility to the whole community. I love that it encompasses the university community — and all that we do here — and our role in the larger community. It’s the holistic nature of that responsibility, and that care for each other. It was a powerful draw for me when I was thinking about coming here.
If you could solve any problem in the world, what would it be?
Child poverty. I’ve done a lot of work with community groups that support young families… giving kids that good start, in whatever way we can, will change everything.
What 3 words best describe your U of A experience?
Three words? “Steep learning curve.”
Well, let’s call that one — it’s been an education for me, it’s been eye-opening, and it’s been really inspiring.
Janice Johnson started as the Assistant Dean of Students (Residence) in January of 2017. She came to the University of Alberta following a 17-year career at McGill University, where she worked in a variety of roles related to residence life and student housing, including Director of Residences. Janice grew up in Montreal, and holds a BA from McGill.