Asbury Math Professor Accepted to Women’s Leadership Development Institute with the CCCU

June 21, 2023

Professor and Chair of Mathematics Dr. Cheryll Crowe ’03 Johnson recently received acceptance into the Women’s Leadership Development Institute (WLDI) within the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). This highly competitive, year-long program aims to empower female leaders across CCCU institutions. The leadership development program with the Institute at Cedar Springs includes a tailored shadowing experience with senior-level leaders across CCCU campuses and networking opportunities throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. Learn more at: cccu.org/programs-services/institutes/wldi/.

“I am humbled and honored to be selected for the WLDI experience,” Johnson said. “I look forward to learning from leaders in the CCCU and growing in the Lord with colleagues from across the world.”

After receiving her B.A. in Secondary Mathematics Education from Asbury University, Johnson received her M.A. in Mathematics Education and Gifted Education Endorsement from Georgetown College and her Ph.D. in Education Sciences (Mathematics) from the University of Kentucky. Johnson joined the Asbury faculty in 2013 after teaching for five years at Eastern Kentucky University. Her research interests include how math shapes student identity and how emerging and current educators can help to cultivate positive math identities.

“Dr. Johnson has emerged as a respected leader at Asbury University,” said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Sherry Powers.

“She provides visionary service while designing curriculum, supporting student learning, and providing administrative leadership for the Shaw School of Sciences. Having served as a department chair and an associate dean, she recognizes the importance of providing informed and cutting-edge leadership for faculty and staff. Her participation in the WLDI is a natural next step as she intentionally works to develop her professional leadership practices and build supportive networks.”

Johnson’s work to cultivate positive math identities remains significant, with Asbury mathematics students thriving in the field after they graduate. Computational Mathematics major Josef Morstatt ’24 received an internship with the Air Force Research Lab at the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M. As part of the AFRL Scholars program, the 12-week internship began on May 22.

“Studying math at Asbury provides career opportunities in both public and private sectors,” Johnson said. “We have alumni who work as quantitative analysts, actuaries, webmasters, lawyers, and even nuclear submarine officers. All of them started their journeys here.”

The Department of Mathematics continues to prepare students for their careers and graduate school. This year marked Asbury’s 36th year of participation in the COMAP International Math Modeling Competition, where teams worked around the clock from February 16-20 to construct solutions to real-life problems. Teams submitted their papers to the COMAP competition. The department is part of Asbury University’s Shaw School of Sciences which offers 14 majors and six minors, including Mathematics, Actuarial Mathematics, Engineering Mathematics, and Mathematics Grades 8-12: asbury.edu/about/offices/schools/science-health-math/.