15 Within 15 Class of 2026

The University of Montevallo Junior Board recognized the latest class of 15 Within 15.

Class Notes

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Dr. Michelle R. Johnston Inauguration Speech

Good afternoon.

Chairman Lupinacci and members of the board of trustees, Congressman Palmer, all of our distinguished guests, delegates from other universities and associations, faculty, staff, students, musicians, alumni, family, neighbors, friends, those who have spoken today, and to our special and awesome seniors, thank you. Thank you all for making this day, this university a priority.

My parents weren’t able to travel and be with us today, as Karen shared, but they’re watching. Thank you for always supporting me, always loving me. I know that chairman Lupinacci recognized the Founders’ Day and Inaugural Committee, but I’m adding my deep gratitude to Marion Brown. Come on out so people can see you. On behalf of the entire Inaugural Committee, I am so deeply in gratitude of the many hands, the minds, the creativity that planned such a celebratory week. Founders Day is special. Really special.

In 1939, WM Wyatt, editor of the Montavalo Times, told the town to close its businesses on Founders’ Day, hang out the bunting and parade the band. Most of us were not here when the college was founded, he wrote, but we are here because Alabama College is here. His grandson, Clay Nordon, class of 1976, shared that editorial with me. Thank you, Clay. And I think this celebration would meet Mr. Max’s standards. A special thank you to a person who couldn’t be with us today, Dr. Terry Robertson, for everything. The campus pulled together under his leadership and we are building on that foundation today.

For generations on Founders’ Day, Montevallo seniors have received their caps and gowns and made that awesome pledge. They promised to uphold to the best of their ability the faith manifested in me by the University of Montevallo. Did you hear those words? This afternoon, that pledge now belongs to all of us. For 130 years, people have placed their faith in this University and our responsibility is to uphold it. To understand that faith, we have to go back. Thank you to our University Archivist, Carrie Heatherly, who gathered and shared historical documents with me that shaped these remarks today. So, picture this campus on October 12th, 1896. Wagons and buggies are coming up the road. Young women from all over Alabama are climbing down with everything they own. They’ve left their homes and the people they love. We can guess that there was some excitement and equally a lot of nerves. None of those arriving had seen a school like this one because Alabama had never had one. Waiting to greet them are Julia Tutweiler, Senator Soul Block, and Captain Henry Clay Reynolds. At our centennial, President Robert McChesney wrote that in the faces of those young women who arrived here, the founders saw the clear, compelling and human purpose of this institution. So hold on to that picture. Everything this university has become started there. A student arriving and someone there ready to meet them. None of this happened by accident. That opening day took 14 years of work. Julia Tutweiler made the case in 1882. Senator Soulblock introduced the bill in 1892. The citizens of Montevallo campaigned to bring the school here in 1894. An educator, a legislator, and a town together. Together. That is how this place began.

So what we do, we commit to students. And how do we do that today? Those new students that are coming up that road now. They deserve a university that is strong. The latest U.S. News & World Report rankings once again named Montevallo the top school in Alabama in the Best Value category. And for the sixth straight year now, Montevallo has been the only institution in Alabama ranked in the top 10 in that category. Six straight years. Our students deserve a university that is ambitious. So together we will soar to those new heights. Together we will build the greatest era in the history of the University of Montevalo. That is a high bar. We have had some great times in 130 years.

To get there we need a dynamic, compelling, impactful plan. So from here, we will create that plan. It will be rooted in listening, collaboration and broad participation by our faculty, our staff, students, alumni, partners, neighbors, friends. I hope everyone in this room will have a voice and be involved in this process. So today I ask us all together to make a pledge that will be foundational for our Strategic Plan. That is a pledge of excellence. A pledge of excellence. Academic and creative excellence is the heart of a Montevallo education and that must never ever change. A pledge to grow. As we increase the number of students, we will continue to challenge to support and engage them to be the very, very best they can be. Also, a pledge to reach further. A Montevallo degree in certain program areas should be available to those who cannot be on this campus every day without diluting what makes it Montevallo. And, we pledge good stewardship. We will build budgets strategically and with discipline and will catapult our strength forward with the Montevallo 130 fundraising campaign that includes a $1.5 million match from the University of Montevallo Foundation if we raise $1 million in my first year here. And we are well on the way to that goal. And we pledge to always keep the future of our students front and center. Across campus, you will see our diploma cover displayed in a prominent place in every office, in every workspace because it is a promise. It is a promise that this is what we are working for, all of us, every single day. This represents that we finish what we start with these kinds of pledges.

We are called to action. Faculty and staff, let’s be the person that a graduate is still talking about in 50 years. Students, in 1946, President Harmon told a room full of dignitaries that the important people there were the students. He was right. Tap into, soak up everything available to you on this campus and in the Montevallo network, and do what it takes to be your very, very best. Alumni, friends, bring a student to the door, and please tell the Montevallo story everywhere you go. Trustees, legislators, community partners, help us do this impactful work in ways that no other university on the face of the earth can.

Like so many here today, Montevallo holds a singular place in my life and in my heart. The mission, the phenomenal students and faculty and staff, the place, the special and one-of-a-kind traditions, the alumni, the distinctive programs, the history, the incredible potential. There is simply no other place, no other institution like it. Can I get a round of applause for that? [applause]

I am here because I love this university. It impacted me earlier in my career in significant and lasting ways and I am honored to serve as your president. In Eleanor Roosevelt’s words, she said, “The future is literally in our hands to mold as we like, but we cannot wait. We cannot wait until tomorrow because tomorrow is now.”

And I say it’s right now. The greatest era is ours to build, to build together.

Thank you so much. I’m humbled and honored to be here as your president.

Thank you.