johnson served as a trustee emeritus and presidential councillor at cornell university, his alma mater. in 1984, johnson and his family made a $20 million endowment gift to the samuel curtis johnson graduate school of management that was named after johnson's great-grandfather, who founded johnson wax. in 1989, johnson was named to the johnson school of management hall of honor in recognition of his advisory council leadership. later gifts to cornell, including gifts in 2004 in the amount of $5 million to establish the center for sustainable global enterprise as well as $2.5 million to create the s.c. johnson professorship in sustainable global enterprise, supported the teaching of business and sustainability at the university. an additional gift created a new facility for the cornell laboratory of ornithology.