Joseph Shackford Johnston was the first president of Virginia Wesleyan College.
Johnston received a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia, a master's degree in divinity from Yale University, and he received an honorary doctorate of divinity from Randolph-Macon College.
[1] Johnston was a prominent figure in helping to procure the charter for Virginia Wesleyan College in 1961.
Johnston was elected the first president of Virginia Wesleyan College in 1965 after serving as the primary advocate for the development and establishment of the institution.
Following his appointment as Superintendent, Johnston then began to get involved in the development of Virginia Wesleyan.