WILLMAR -- Sen. Dean Johnson said his decision to apply for a position on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents was done out of his deep respect for the institution and a desire to help make a good school better.
The action is also a sign that Johnson, who suffered a defeat in November that ended his 28-year tenure in the Minnesota Legislature, isn't down for the count.
In an interview Thursday, Johnson said he won't give up and retire but is looking -- and finding -- new opportunities for life after the Senate.
This week, Johnson was named as one of 20 finalists for four open seats on the 12-member University Board of Regents, which oversees the university system.
He was one of 145 candidates to apply for an unpaid, six-year term on the board.
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The finalists will have face-to-face interviews with the Regent Candidate Advisory Council in early January. The council will narrow down the list and pass that on to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Pawlenty will make his recommendations on the final four, which will be submitted to a joint House and Senate committee for review. The full Legislature will vote sometime in February, with the option of selecting a candidate other than the final four.
Johnson is vying for one of two positions classified as "members at large."
One of the finalists is incumbent Cynthia Lesher, who will likely be reappointed. The Legislature will also select one student representative and one individual from the fifth congressional district.
Johnson isn't making any assumptions about winning a place on the Board of Regents. "It's a democracy," he said, adding that he's prepared if legislators select someone else.
"There are many things I've tried and not been successful at," he said.
His loss to political newcomer Joe Gimse, R-Willmar, was a rare, but crushing defeat in a long string of political and career successes for Johnson.
Acknowledging that it may sound "hokey," Johnson said he took to heart the words of football coach Vince Lombardi who said it didn't matter if you got knocked down, it mattered if you got up. Johnson said he has picked himself up and brushed off the dust from last month's election and is getting on with life.
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Applying for the Board of Regents job could be part of the process of moving on.
If selected to serve on the board, Johnson said he would ask "the difficult questions" regarding the University's finances and programs.
He said he'd also like to lower tuition increases and improve learning opportunities for the University's 50,000 students and strengthen Minnesotan's sense of ownership and respect for the land grant school.
Johnson said the University is the "flagship of higher learning in Minnesota" and "second to none" for its role in research. He said the University has always held a "warm spot in my heart."
