Former Associate Dean of Students for Multicultural Programs and Services Fatima Rodriguez Johnson’s office (pictured above) is being utilized by Eunisha Tucker, Coordinator of LGBTQ Programs and Services. Tucker is assuming some of Johnson’s responsibilities in the wake of Rodriguez Johnson’s departure for a similar position at Canisius College . Geneseo has yet to determine Rodriguez Johnson’s permanent replacement (Catherine white/editor-in-chief).
Former Associate Dean of Students for Multicultural Programs and Services Fatima Rodriguez Johnson left her position at Geneseo after 12 years on Feb. 1. With her departure, she leaves her impact through her multicultural work and the students, faculty and staff she interacted with.
Rodriquez Johnson began her first day as the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at her alma mater, Canisius College, in Buffalo, N.Y. on Tuesday Feb. 19. The responsibilities of her new position include overseeing campus-wide initiatives that support diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice in the higher educational opportunity programs.
At Geneseo, Rodriguez Johnson’s duties included arranging Cultural Harmony Week, advising cultural student organizations, welcoming and giving advice to underrepresented students, helping to coordinate the busing of potential New York City students to visit the school and instructing Real World Geneseo—a spring semester course devoted to connecting students from different backgrounds—among other multicultural interdisciplinary work and event planning.
Rodriguez Johnson’s motive in taking on a new position was largely due to the closer distance to her home—seven minutes as opposed to 75 minutes—encouragement from her Canisius mentors, Canisius’s Jesuit mission and philosophy surrounding social justice and her feeling of completeness of her time at Geneseo.
“Taking on this role and this opportunity, just the timing seemed right. The 12 years I did the very best that I could for students first and foremost,” Rodriquez Johnson said in a phone interview. “Everything that I did was really hoping that their experience at Geneseo would be different and better and [they] would be able to be as successful as any student...being there for 12 years.”
Geneseo is currently in the process of forming a search committee to replace Rodriquez Johnson. In the meantime, Coordinator of LGBTQ+ Programs and Services Eunisha Tucker ‘18 will be absorbing some of the position’s responsibilities and shift from a part-time position to a full-time position, according to Dean of Students and Director of Center for Community Leonard Sancilio.
As Rodriguez Johnson did, Tucker will continue to advise student cultural clubs, mentor the multicultural fellows, help plan Cultural Harmony Week for next semester and help teach Real World Geneseo.
Tucker, a former student who worked closely with Rodriguez Johnson, was recommended to the LGBTQ+ Coordinator position by Rodriguez Johnson. After Rodriguez Johnson announced her resignation, Tucker presented the idea of filling in to Sancilio.
Rodriguez Johnson began as the Coordinator of the Office of Multicultural Programs in 2006. In 2015, she was promoted to Assistant Dean of Students for Multicultural Programs and Services. In 2018, she was promoted to Associate Dean of Students for Multicultural Programs and Services.
During her career at Geneseo, some of Rodriguez Johnson’s highlights and most proud accomplishments include establishing Real World Geneseo, which she worked on with Director of the School of Education’s Xerox Center for Multicultural Teacher Education Susan Norman, the Equity Scorecard Subcommittee and work with the Department of Theatre and Dance for multicultural initiatives with professor of dance studies Mark Broomfield, professor of theatre Randy Kaplan and GENseng.
Rodriguez Johnson’s departure from Geneseo has left some colleagues disappointed, but also hopeful for her continued career.
Sancillio, Rodriguez Johnson’s direct supervisor, was thankful for the impact she left on campus.
“The impact that Fatima had at Geneseo cannot be underestimated, she had a huge impact,” Sancilio said. “She gave the campus a different perspective; someone who was an incredibly thoughtful person and can view the sides of every issue. She would clearly think before she spoke, and you could almost see the gears turning in her brain as she took in all the information and before she would respond.”
Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Georgenson Anselme, who worked with Rodriguez Johnson on hosting and transporting potential Geneseo students from New York City, emphasized Rodriguez Johnson’s impact on students.
“Students trust her, and students knew that they could go to her in whatever circumstances and so that’s going to be missed,” Anselme said. “Students at Geneseo are definitely going to miss the fact that they can always go to her and count on her to try and help them out.”
Director of Access Opportunities Program Diedre DeBose, who also worked with Rodriguez Johnson on the bus transports and AOP initiatives, echoed the same sentiment.
“I like to call her a champion of students. She just gives 100 percent and truly cares about the student,” DeBose said. “When you talk about someone who’s passionate and dedicated and truly committed, it’s Fatima, she goes above and beyond.”
Rodriguez Johnson and those who worked close with her hope that the person to fill her spot will keep the traditions she made, create new initiatives and continue an open conversation for students on diversity, inclusivity and multiculturalism.